The Dragon Emerges
by Keeper105
Summary: Sequel to Keepers: Six months have passed. Three unlucky souls have been drawn together. One has been reborn. The others are changing. How does our billionaire dragon react to his new lifestyle? How does he, and the others, react to memories and more of the past becoming the present? Will they survive the trials to come, or will they succumb to the power and lose themselves?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi again. This is the squeal to Keepers. It takes place six months later. Not much has changed for our main protagonists. Just a few little dragon problems...a few little memories...a little bit of crazy. But who said that's bad, right?**

**I hope you enjoy the next story in a long line of adventures for our Keeper Spirits.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Yugioh. I do, however, own the plots and past Keepers. **

* * *

It started with the sounds. The soft footsteps in the middle of the night. The random tapping or scraping against his door. The soft growls. But every time. _Every. Single. Time _he checked, the dragon was in bed. So who was getting up at night?

Joey groaned softly as he heard the claws again, running along the door outside his room. He could hear the wood splintering and fraying. He could hear a hiss, animal in every way.

This had been happening for a month now. He would go to Kaiba's room at _least_ three times a night. He would be asleep! …or awake and yell at Joey for being in his room. But _no one_ else could make those sounds. Ryou couldn't at least.

About six months ago, Joey Wheeler's life had turned upside down. It started with a girl. An albino girl who had recently moved to Japan. She had been innocent and shy. Socially awkward and cute. Joey decided to get to know her, help her out.

_This_ is what he got for his help.

Living in Seto Kaiba's house for the past six months with a demon, or dragon, prowling about outside! All because he tried to become friends with Ryou Bakura.

See, since that day, problem after problem occurred. Joey had simply done a good deed, saving Ryou from a drunk man. She had tried to return that good deed by returning his jacket. But, for some _strange_ reason, she decided to return it through a demonic monster that lived inside her _soul_.

_Now_, Joey was fine with Diabound. The snake bat thing still gave him a weird vibe, but he had gotten used to it being around. But at the time of the jacket epidemic, he had been with Kaiba. Back when they still played this sick little game that Joey would rather not remember. But anyway, the demon had dropped his jacket and, next thing he knows?

Kaiba had dragged him to Ryou's apartment for answers.

From there on out, dreams, nightmares, _voices,_ had plagued them. Then the magic outburst. His fires.

Joey accidently burnt down his apartment, hence living with Kaiba and displacing his father. He had no idea where his dad was now, and he'd rather not know. Despite the drastic turn in his life, the lack of his alcoholic dad was great.

But, of course, Joey hadn't started living with the arrogant bastard until a few days later, when Kaiba had wiped himself from existence for about twenty minutes and nearly _died_. Joey then_ somehow_ tied his soul to the CEO, which kept him in the mansion. If he got too far away, Kaiba would die. For some stupid reason he still didn't know.

_Then_, guess what? Kaiba starts absorbing magic and needs a new body because his stupid soul is too big for a mortal! Now Joey is stuck in the house even longer! And to make things worse, the Undead and Afterlife start poking their ghostly noses in their life.

Kaiba starts communing with spirits from the past, freaking Joey out completely. Ryou starts getting visits from a shadow creature claiming to be a _god._ And Joey continues to be tormented by voices telling him life is hopeless.

Amongst all this Ryou gets shot, Kaiba nearly dies _again_, and Joey has to look after them both. Things quiet for a few days until Ryou loses her Millennium Ring. Then Kaiba gets _possessed_ by the past spirit he may or may not had been communing with in his dreams. Then _that_ spirit leaves only to let Kaiba be possessed by _another_ spirit, to which this one drains his _life_. He dies. Ryou traps his soul in a crystal. Joey puts the crystal in a body the 'shadow' Ryou speaks to sends them!...and now Kaiba's a dragon.

_Hence_ leading to the sounds outside Joey's room every fricken _night_!

The blond groaned and rolled out of bed. He had talked to Kaiba and Ryou about this. Neither of them knew what he was talking about. He didn't believe them. _One_ of them were doing it. He wasn't hearing things again!

Opening his bedroom door, Joey looked down the hall. He listened when he didn't see anything.

There were footsteps moving to the stairs. He silently walked down the hall, making sure to be extra quiet as he passed the only black door in the house. Ryou's room. She was a light sleeper, for obvious reasons.

As he reached the stairs, he glimpsed a shadow moving into the kitchen. A small fear flickered in him but he still went down. He had to get to the bottom of this. He couldn't go on sleepless nights much longer. If he were to graduate school this year, he needed his wits about him.

Stopping just at the entrance to the kitchen, he slowed his breathing. Ryou had taught all of them, including Mokuba, how to fight. Joey already knew a lot about fighting, and so had Kaiba due to his childhood 'lessons', but this was more _magic based _according to Ryou. He saw no difference.

...except the use of his flames in punches but _that_ didn't matter…

Of course, Joey and Kaiba had their own way of doing everything and taught themselves other, more _effective_ ways for their magic. But then again, Kaiba rarely used magic since he had claws…and a tail…and the Millennium Rod…

Joey shook his head. Stay on track. The creature or person causing him nightmares was just in the next room. All he had to do was summon a flame and hopefully frighten them enough he could bind them. Hopefully they weren't fire resistant…

Gaining enough courage, Joey stepped into the kitchen. He set his hand ablaze, a dark red flame sitting in his palm. His stance flattered at what he saw.

"A bit overkill, don't you think mutt?"

Joey glared at Kaiba. The brunet was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, one leg crossed over the other. He had a mug in his hand. It wouldn't surprise the blond if it were coffee. Joey put out his flame and crossed his arms, annoyed.

"What are you doing getting a drink in the middle of the night, Kaiba?!" Joey hissed. "And you _are_ the one keeping me up, aren't ya? You were making those sounds weren't ya?"

Kaiba sighed and took a sip of his drink. He set his golden eyes on the blond, reptilian slits smaller than normal. Joey shifted under the gaze.

"I am not the creature you keep hearing." Kaiba leaned back on the island. He placed the mug down, crossing his arms. "I've been working most of the night and needed something to keep me awake. I actually tried to be quiet as I passed."

Joey blinked in confusion.

"But I heard the scratching again." Joey looked at Kaiba's nails and found them normal length. That being a sharp point. There was no trace of splintered wood or small cuts. "You're positive it wasn't you?"

Kaiba gave one nod, his pupils widening again to normal size. Normal size being a slim oval of black. Not the usual circle humans had. The gold had also dulled back to a rusty colour. This meant Kaiba was calm.

Joey had made sure to note the colours and pupil sizes. It was scary, seeing angry Kaiba with those eyes. Joey shivered with the memories. And nightmares…

"Wait." Joey rubbed his eye as he spoke. Man was he tired… "Why are you even working? It's the start of the weekend…"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. He picked up his coffee while standing. Joey's attention was immediately drawn to the silver tail that fell behind him. Made up of thousands of small silver scales with three diamond plates on the tip. It nearly brushed the ground.

A dragon tail for the dragon body they had transferred a human soul into.

"I still have to work on the weekend, Wheeler." Kaiba walked past Joey. Joey flinched as his tail flicked him on the way out. "Go back to bed."

Joey grumbled under his breath. He followed Kaiba back upstairs. He watched that silver tail with narrowed eyes. He found he hated _that_ more than the scowl and dog comments Kaiba always gave him…ok…_maybe_ not more than the dog comments but close!

Whenever Joey annoyed the brunet or vice versa, he'd just use his tail. Flick him. Hit him. Even a simple brush that made the hair on the back of Joey's neck stand up. It was horrible. It felt wrong. Kaiba had more in common with snakes than he did his own _brother._ Though…Joey guessed that had been true even when he were human…

Joey turned back to his room, refrained from slamming the door shut, and stepped in. Laying face first on his bed, he attempted to go back to sleep.

And of _course_, the stupid scratching, tapping and prowling started up again.

* * *

"Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba startled, looking up from his computer. He hid his surprise at not hearing his name and instead looked at his secretary with his normal façade. She hid her concern and smiled softly. He was relieved to see no fear in her eyes.

"These are the papers you asked for, sir," she said quietly, handing him a folder.

"Thank you," he muttered, placing them on his desk.

The older woman bowed and left. The second the door shut, Kaiba relaxed in his seat. He looked away from the computer and stared at the roof. He gently rested a hand over his eyes, welcoming the darkness it brought.

It was a Saturday morning and he still had so much to do. He doubted he'd take tomorrow off. He still had to catch up on the things he had missed all those months ago. When all his troubles started.

If only he hadn't been with Wheeler when Diabound appeared. If he hadn't shown a shred of kindness for the mutt, then he wouldn't have seen the demon and he wouldn't have been dragged into this. And anyway, _he_ was the one suffering!

Kaiba had lost his body. Lost his human body and replaced it with a mechanical dragon. All because he had 'awakened' his magic. It never would have happened if he never met Ryou. But then, maybe it still would have happened, just years later when he couldn't get help…

The brunet sighed and turned back to his computer. He started working on another email.

His fingers froze.

He frowned. He tried to move them. They refused. His hand started shaking with the strain.

A low growl started to form in his throat. He tried to type again. Some of his fingers twitched but that was it.

_Now_ a growl left him. He looked up. Golden eyes scanned the desk, trying to think of some way to make them work again. He didn't think hitting them against the desk would make them work. His body may be a machine, but it didn't work that way. As much as Wheeler tried to imply that.

Kaiba pulled his hands away from the device. Relief flooded through him as his arms obeyed. This wasn't the first time his body stopped working. Usually he had Ryou or Mokuba with him, and they helped him work the limbs into moving. Sometimes he found the cold immobilised him. Especially recently with the winter months rolling in.

But he had made sure his office was warm. It _was_ warm. So why had his fingers frozen?

Glancing back at them, he found one of his hands moving. His frown deepened as it moved to one of his desk draws. He wasn't controlling that arm.

He tried to pull back but it didn't listen. A small panic filled him at the thought of someone else controlling his body. But no one other than those in his household knew about the robotic body. Roland included. They had made sure to tell him when Kaiba couldn't control his golden eyes and tail.

Wait.

Kaiba quickly looked down, ignoring his hand as it grasped the draw handle. His eyes widened as he saw his tail, hanging by his side. The tip touched the ground.

If his tail was visible, then that meant his eyes were too. And if anyone came in-

His thought abruptly cut off when he grasped something cold. Kaiba looked to his out of control hand. He went cold.

Where had that come from?

A golden bracelet. Two dragons tied together. It seemed their heads made the clasp. The top dragon had petal like plates coming from its head, two clawed forelegs tucked under itself. He followed its body to the other dragon, which also had a snake like body. This dragon had sharp points behind its head and a small snarl on its lips. Its forelegs were more jagged while the other's rounded. He frowned at the ruby for its almond shaped eye. He looked back at the top one to see a sapphire.

Kaiba ran a tentative finger across the gold. He could feel small, engraved scales. His interest grew and he studied it more carefully. Slowly an image formed in his head but he ignored the meaning of that image. He was too busy analysing the gold and handiwork.

He didn't even notice the ability to move again…

It was a beautiful item. It had to be real gold. By the weight and solidness. The dragons were well made. It must be expensive. And it must be Egyptian, for it had the same delicateness as the Millennium Rod. Same feel. Same preciousness. Same beauty…

A knock at the door made him jump and drop the bracelet. Kaiba was surprised at how quickly he jumped out of his seat to pick it up. He didn't hear the hiss that left him at being disturbed.

Sitting back in his seat, Kaiba looked at the door. He muttered a, "Come in," as he held the item in his hand.

The door opened a crack and he relaxed. Ryou stepped in, smiling at first, but it disappeared in a second.

"Did you know it was me or did you forget to bring up the human façade?"

Kaiba's heart skipped a beat. He completely forgot the glamour disappeared. The bracelet had caught his attention before he could fix his image. Wait…his body was working now too…strange…

"I forgot," he admitted, leaning on one arm and ignoring his thoughts. He still held the bracelet, running his fingers across its smooth surface. He hid it under the desk though.

"You can't forget, Kaiba." Ryou came to his side of the desk and pushed back some paperwork so she could sit on it. "If a mortal came in-"

"Yes, I know," Kaiba growled over her, surprised when the animalistic sound followed. He glanced up at her and he saw her eyes darken.

"Kaiba." Crap. He awoke Bakura. "You may be head of this corporation but you _can not_ growl at me. You may think you can talk to people however you like because of your status, but remember _I _am higher than you. _Better_ than you."

Kaiba felt his anger spike but he forced the growl to stay down. He looked away instead. He wasn't in the mood for Bakura's methods of 'teaching'. He had noticed over the past six months, Ryou and Bakura were two _very_ different people. Ryou was still nice, despite her scary nature. Bakura was a downright bastard who happily injured them to near death in training. And Kaiba didn't like the way Bakura treated him. Almost as if he were an animal.

"Why did you drop the glamour?" Bakura asked, eyes now a steady dark blue.

Kaiba didn't look her directly in the eyes and instead watched the Millennium Ring. He frowned a little as he noticed the gold. It seemed…cleaner? Shinier? It was different…he knew that much…

"Kaiba."

He snapped out of his daze at the dangerous tone in Bakura's voice. Rolling the bracelet over in his hand, he said, "It dropped on its own. My fingers locked."

"Oh." Kaiba relaxed a little when cobalt returned to Ryou's eyes and she smiled. "Well you should probably bring it back up. I think your secretary said something about a meeting?"

Kaiba remembered and his robotic brain saved no trouble to bring up his planer in his vision. One perk about having a machine as a body? He could access all Kaiba Corp files through his mind instead of the computer. It made things easier when he was in a rush.

"Yes." He stood, dropping the bracelet on the ground as he did so. He didn't know why, but he didn't want Ryou to see the item. "You should leave. I'm sure the mutt is waiting."

Ryou smiled a little, a dark glint entering her eyes. She held the Ring and stood off his desk.

"Be ready for tomorrow Kaiba." She stared to melt into the shadows. "I've got a good idea for training."

Kaiba stiffened as he saw Bakura's signature smirk as she disappeared. He groaned softly. Change the word _training_ to _punishment_. Bakura was going to hit him hard for that growl.

Going back to the desk, Kaiba picked up the bracelet. He looked over it again, still amazed by it. He didn't even know why he liked it so much...

But he had to go to the meeting! So, reluctantly, he placed the bracelet back in the draw.

As he left, he had well and truly forgotten about the lead up to finding the bracelet and the panic of something else controlling his body…

* * *

She jumped, jumping higher than a human could. She saw his eyes widen as she started to come down on him, daggers aimed for the kill. Joey's eyes flashed red and he disappeared in a blast of flame.

Ryou landed on the ground, turned, and caught Joey's sword with her dagger. They stood in that lock for a couple moments before Ryou brought her other dagger forward. Joey's eyes widened again and he _just_ dodged her stab. But he lost the lock and the other dagger came down on his shoulder.

He gasped and Ryou pushed him the rest of the way to the ground. She landed on his stomach, winding him. She chuckled softly as he coughed, blood pooling around his shoulder.

"I win again," she mocked, removing her dagger.

Joey hissed at the withdrawal but smiled anyway. It was strained with pain but still humorous.

"I'm getting better though."

A flame flared under his shoulder. Ryou watched as it slowly healed the wound. She found it interesting how Joey's flames could heal him. A good power. Especially if it applied to _all_ flames.

"Slowly," Ryou said, standing.

She held a hand out for him and he took it, a small trickle of blood on his hand from his shoulder. Ryou ignored the warm liquid and stepped back.

"Ready to go again?" she asked and he nodded, holding his sword in a better grip.

Ryou flipped her daggers before running at him. This training was solely for Joey. She was not allowed to use her magic in anyway but enhancement. Joey however could use all his magic and his weapon of choice. The blond had been using a sword ever since they started, since Ryou refused to allow guns. She didn't like them and they were not practical for magic. Swords and other Medieval or Fantastical weapons channelled magical power better, allowing the possessor to call powerful attacks. Ryou's daggers were very good for stealthy kills and they held the shadows well.

She still wasn't sure about the sword for Joey. But it was the only other weapon that worked for him that she had. Kaiba had his Millennium Rod, which to their surprise, grew into a golden long sword with the right magic pressure. The same applied to the dagger point in the Rod's normal form, which made a more usable and thief like dagger. Kaiba was a master at both sword and dagger, which had surprised Bakura. But the thief was still the best with daggers.

Ryou pulled her attention to the battle when a flame got particularly close. She twisted away and turned back to Joey. He blocked her attack with his sword then moved around her, another dark red flame in his hand. She just dodged the flame.

It was a surprise, how well the boys had adapted. At first, they had both been afraid. Joey had been _petrified_. She remembered his complete and utter fear of himself when he burnt down that building. She remembered Kaiba's fear too, when he started to die for the sheer fact of _having_ magic. She was genuinely impressed, and surprised, by their growth. They were both very good at what they did. They still had much more to learn, but for now, they would survive.

Turning back to the blond, she got in close. She managed to cut his stomach. He hissed and jumped away, pressing a hand to the bleeding wound.

Ryou smirked, twisting the blades in her hands. She watched and waited. What would his next move be?

Joey flipped his sword, getting a better grip. He was panting but smiling. He was enjoying this, even though his wound was probably burning.

A sudden pressure in the air made Ryou look up. She jumped out of the way as a funnel of fire came down. It hit the ground she had been standing on just seconds before. She turned back to Joey only to see another flame coming her way.

She jumped out of the way, using her magic to make her hover in the sky a little. She frowned when she couldn't see the blond. Where was he?

A shiver went down her spine. She glimpsed silver out the corner of her eye. She twisted in mid-air, dagger clashing with-

What was that?

Joey pressed with his weapon and Ryou buckled under the force. She landed on the ground and stumbled over her feet. She landed on her butt, a dagger flying from her hand.

She looked up just as that weapon came down. She gasped and brought her right hand up, blocking with her last dagger. The weapons shook in this dangerous hold. Ryou found her strength wavering. Why was Joey suddenly so strong? And where had this weapon come from? Why was she losing?

A difference in the air around her made her roll over, effectively getting out of the hold and evading the flames. She was about to get up when a foot came for her head. She moved back so it hit her shoulder instead.

Now on her back, Ryou stared up at the blond. But…

"Seems I won this round."

Ryou narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right. That weapon. Those eyes. The malice and-

Her eyes widened at _that_ emotion. W-Why was he-she had to be reading it wrong…but she-

_"Ah Miss Bakura, I see you've gotten yourself in a messy situation."_

Ryou looked up and so did Joey. She couldn't help but feel relief as the shadowy form of Nothing hovered above them. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other. Why was he here, though? He only came when she was in danger…

"Who are you?"

Ryou looked back at Joey, a frown on his face. Nothing chuckled and flashed white teeth in a grin.

"_Oh you know me, Light. Or should I say…Reaper?" _He hummed softly, causing both Ryou and Joey to frown. _"Who are you?"_

Joey removed his foot and looked at Nothing properly. Ryou slowly propped herself up, watching the silver blade dangerously close to her legs. She didn't like the presence she was feeling. Something was very wrong here. Very very wrong…

"You didn't answer my question," Joey growled.

Ryou flinched at the small inhumane growl following. How did he do that? Kaiba was the only one who could do that.

Nothing laughed and came down to their level. Ryou felt a layer of cold as he landed. She looked between the two. Purple eyes meeting red. She was surprised by the pure hatred radiating off both of them.

Ryou shifted back as she saw Joey's grip tighten on his weapon. An ivory staff with a silver blade. A scythe, marked with runes that glowed blood red. As his eyes did.

"_Alright Reaper, I shall jog your memory." _Nothing's shadow form bowed, purple eyes darkening with mischief. _"I am Nothing. A god, and king. I was once the mate of Necrofear and," _he cocked his head, that grin back, "_do you not remember stealing my woman from me to return her to your former mate?"_

Ryou frowned but, for some reason that she had next to no answer for, Joey _grinned_.

"Oh yeah, I remember now." His eyes flashed darkly, the runes turning a darker blood colour. "And I remember killing you, as I'll do again."

Nothing laughed.

_"Do your best."_

Ryou stared as Joey brought his scythe up and cut through the shadow. Of course, nothing happened, but that didn't seem to stop him from doing it again. What was going on? Why was Joey suddenly someone else? Reaper? Who was _that_?

Ryou stood up, catching both their attention. She held her one dagger tightly, unsure of who was the enemy right now. This battle…it didn't feel right.

"Nothing," she whispered, watching Joey, "you do not need to be here. Joey and I were only _sparring_." She empathised the word and saw the red in her friend's eyes flicker a little, showing the honey they usually were. "Training. We don't need your interference nor do we need you to bring up affairs of the past."

She felt Nothing frown but he shrugged.

_"Then I shall leave you be. But do be careful. I'd hate for a repeat of the Gods."_

Ryou frowned but Nothing disappeared. She looked at Joey and his eyes were honey brown again, confusion written all over his face.

He looked at the scythe in his hand and frowned.

"When did I get this?"

Ryou blinked in shock. He _had_ been possessed. But by what? And whom?

"The spirit summoned it…" she said slowly. He paled. "Maybe we should have a break from training…"

He nodded, dropping the weapon. It didn't touch the ground and instead disappeared in a flash of light, making them both flinch. Ryou sighed and sent her daggers back into the Abyss. She then walked to Joey and gently patted his shoulder.

"Well done Joey," she whispered, "you found your magic item."

She felt him stiffen but she left, feeling hollow and as if danger was on its way.

* * *

_"Please! Don't do this! This isn't you!." _

_The blade of a silver weapon dragged on the white ground. The only sound in this circular, empty white room was the scraping of the blade and the whimpering from the corner. _

_"Please." Her claws scratched helplessly at the ground in an attempt to run. But there was nowhere to run to. "I can not die!" _

_The weapon drew closer to her, starting to lift off the ground with a resounding hiss. Her whimpering only grew, resulting in a growl from her pursuer. Attacker._

_"Would you stop _crying_?" He, no, _it _growled. "Wouldn't you want to go out with a fight? Living to your _title_?"_

_"I _tried_," she growled, pain flaring up her wounded and bleeding leg. "It was a lost cause as soon as I was thrown in here!"_

_It looked at her with dull eyes. She would have thought pity but the lopsided, unnerving smile changed it. _

_"So my reputation exceeds here?" it asked, the weapon moving dangerously close to her neck. "Mistress said not yet." _

_The weapon's blade flashed in the light. Its curved blade was perfect for this kind of kill. It was millimetres away from her neck. _

_"Please," she whispered again, closing her eyes. She knew it was hopeless asking again but she tried anyway. "No one will take my place if you kill me."_

_She smelt the creature bend down. She opened an eye to see its dull but somehow crazy, blood, eyes. _

_"I will."_

* * *

Joey gasped and tried to sit up. He couldn't move and, before he could calm his rapidly beating heart, he was thrown into another dream. How it got him while he was still awake was a question he didn't even get to utter.

* * *

_He watched the head roll away. White eyes stared vacantly. Dark red blood gushed from the severed head, covering white scales and the white floor. Blood splattered against the wall when he killed her. _

_He crouched down. He watched the blood as it pooled, the liquid thick. He placed his weapon on the ground. He brought a sharp fingernail to the shoulder of the body. _

_Calming his heart and trying his best not to grin, he ran his finger down the arm. The scales cut easily and blood started to ooze out. He grinned and dug his nails into the cut, pulling back the flesh. _

_White bone revealed itself but that wasn't what he wanted. He pushed his hand into the wound, covering it completely in blood. When he removed it, his skin was a bright red. _

_He sat back on his legs. The blood was touching his bare feet but he didn't mind. He studied his red hand, watching as it dripped onto the white floor. He found it fascinating…the excitement and hunger this substance sparked in him. How could such a repulsive substance and scene fill him with such an adrenaline rush?_

_He brought his hand up. He hesitated, somewhere in his mind knowing this was wrong. This was disgusting and horrible. But…_

_…it was just so good…_

* * *

This time when he woke, he remained awake. Joey sat up quickly, pressing a hand to his chest. His heart was beating much too fast. It felt as if it was trying to escape from his chest. It was hard to breathe.

He licked his lips. His heart stopped.

Joey quickly touched his lips, having expected them to be dry. But they were wet, and whatever was on them tasted like honey and, strangely, rain. When he brought his fingers down, he saw a golden substance.

Hand shaking, Joey ran out of his room to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and gasped.

The golden liquid stained his clothes. It covered his hands and stuck under his nails. His face seemed free of it now that he licked his lips. He quickly left the bathroom. He had to speak to Ryou. He didn't know what it was but-

"Oww…"

Joey rubbed his head and looked up at what he walked into. He froze.

"Start explaining, mutt."


	2. Chapter 2

"So you woke me up…" Ryou muttered through a yawn, "to tell me you had a fight?"

Joey looked away. It wasn't a fight. Joey didn't even know _why_ he had Kaiba's blood on him. Or why it tasted like it did…

The three of them were currently sitting in the living room. Ryou was pacing to keep herself awake. Kaiba was sitting on the couch as he tried to repair the damage 'Joey' had done to his chest. And Joey was sitting on the armrest, trying his best to piece together what had happened while he was dreaming…

He didn't know what had happened. Honestly.

"Ryou, I was asleep last I knew." Joey glanced at Kaiba who scoffed. "I don't remember going to your room. I woke up in my bed with the golden stuff on me."

"My blood, Wheeler."

Joey stuck his tongue out at him. He didn't care if what he said was wrong. He didn't want it to be blood. If that were true, then why did it taste like honey?

"Well, did you dream, Joey?" Ryou asked quietly, glancing at him.

Joey hesitated. Should he tell…yeah, probably. Ryou might know what it had been about. He nodded. Ryou stood straighter now.

"I saw someone kill a dragon," he whispered. "No names were exchanged. Just a guy, I couldn't see him properly, killed a white dragon. Then he-" Joey shuddered a little. "-then he ate her blood."

"Like a vampire?" Ryou asked but Joey shook his head.

"I said _ate_." Ryou frowned and Kaiba glanced his way. "He stuck his hand in her body and licked it off his hand. At least, I'm assuming that, because then I woke up with _this_ on me." He gestured to the gold still on his shirt.

Ryou hummed softly. Joey watched her pace. The longer he did the more he became aware of a sugary smell. It was too sweet. Sickening sweet. He raised a hand to his nose just to block it out. The movement didn't go unnoticed.

"You ok, Joey?" Ryou asked softly.

Joey nodded and forced a smile.

"You know, I'm really tired." He dropped his hand. "Can we just put this aside for another day?"

Ryou looked at Kaiba. He shrugged.

"As long as you don't attack me again."

Joey waved his hand.

"Of course I won't. I didn't do it tonight anyway."

Kaiba glared at him, his eyes slitting to almost nothing, but Ryou interrupted before he could say anything.

"Goodnight Joey."

Joey nodded and left, making to change his clothes and burn them. The smell was getting to him and, to his horror; he found he wouldn't mind tasting it again…

* * *

Kaiba had been resting on the couch. Reading peacefully. Everything had been quiet and calm when…something small jumped on him.

It had been a _very _long day, and all he wanted was to rest. He had convinced himself to stay home. And now, here was _another _nuisance. First Joey. Now _this. _He put the book down and gave Mokuba a disapproving look.

"What are you doing?"

Mokuba shrugged, grey eyes shining with mischief. Kaiba couldn't stay mad at his brother for long. His expression sobered to a soft annoyance, but resignation.

"Testing something," Mokuba answered.

Kaiba rose an eyebrow.

"What are you testing?"

Mokuba grinned and took Kaiba's book. The brunet didn't get any time to react before his brother threw the book onto the table. Kaiba looked at him, knowing his eyes had slitted with his frustration.

"Why did you throw my book, Mokuba?"

Mokuba didn't seem intimidated by the small growl under his words. He only sat on Kaiba's legs, studying his brother. Kaiba felt his tail tapping with his annoyance. What was Mokuba trying to see?

"You know, Seto," Mokuba cocked his head a little, "you're quite scary with golden eyes. I mean, do you purposely turn them reptilian like that or does it just happen?"

Kaiba didn't change his expression nor did he blink.

"Why are you asking this, Mokuba?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes.

"Just answer the question. I'm trying to get to know your body. We haven't had much time to talk about it."

Kaiba frowned. Why did Mokuba need to know that? He had been in this body for six months now. Shouldn't he be used to it already?

"I don't see the poi-"

"Shh!" Kaiba swallowed the growl that threatened to come out. "Just answer my questions. Please Seto?"

Kaiba sighed and slumped in his seat. He guessed it couldn't hurt…

"My eyes change by emotion," he muttered, "You should know that."

"I kind of did. Joey said something about it when I asked."

Kaiba's frown deepened. He asked Wheeler? What would the mutt know?

"What about your tail?" Mokuba reached between the couch and his leg to pull said limb into view. "Emotional movements too?"

Kaiba pulled his tail out of his grip and muttered, "Most of the time. I _can_ control it."

Mokuba grabbed his tail again. Kaiba had to smile as Mokuba held onto it when he tried to pull it out of his grip. Mokuba smirked. Kaiba sighed and lifted his tail up. Mokuba gasped and clung tighter, now suspended in the air.

"S-Seto this is high."

Kaiba smirked. See, his tail was much longer than everyone thought. Majority of it hid inside the body. Most probably by magic. Kaiba remembered one embarrassing day when he still couldn't control his tail. He had entered his bedroom and conveniently gotten it stuck in the door. He hadn't realised the situation until he had walked to his in-room bathroom. He had felt a soft tug. His tail had grown to at least the length of his room.

And now he was holding Mokuba almost to the roof, his brother holding tightly to the silver metal.

"I'll put you down if you promise to stop touching my tail."

Mokuba nodded quickly and Kaiba brought him back down. Resuming sitting on his legs, Mokuba seemed uncomfortable. He kept shifting.

"Ok. So your tail is _much_ longer than we thought…don't do that again."

Kaiba smirked and said, "Only if you don't touch my tail."

Mokuba mumbled something before asking, "Can I try _one_ thing with your tail? _One_ more thing?"

Kaiba instantly picked up on the contained excitement. What did Mokuba have in mind? Would it annoy him? Probably, it being Mokuba and that smile. But Kaiba had to say he _was_ interested…

"One thing."

Mokuba grinned and grabbed his tail again. It twitched when he pulled it a little, making Kaiba clench his fist. But he said nothing and waited.

His brother seemed to be studying the diamond plates. He ran light fingers over the plates, causing shivers to go up Kaiba's spine. His tail flicked and Mokuba gave him a look.

"Why'd you move?"

"Unintentional."

"Oh."

Mokuba took his tail again. He then leaned forward. Before Kaiba could ask what he was going to do, his brother flashed that infamous, mischievous grin that meant whatever he was about to do would annoy Kaiba to no end.

Before the older brother could take his tail back, Mokuba ran his fingers lightly down the limb. From where his tail met his thigh, slowly down to the tip.

Kaiba shuddered and was surprised when a low rumble vibrated from his throat, filling the quite space. His body instantly relaxed and his tail went slack in Mokuba's grip. It took him a couple seconds to fight the feeling and listen to his brother's hysteric laughter.

"You purred!" Mokuba fell back on the other side of the couch. "I didn't know dragon's purred! Oh god Seto that was hilarious!"

Kaiba tried to growl but it didn't come out properly. It didn't sound scary at all. Almost like fake, or mock, anger. Mokuba laughed harder at his failed attempt at being intimidating.

"It wasn't a purr, Mokuba." Kaiba pulled his tail back, managing to sit straight and regain control of his body. "You-"

"I have to tell Joey."

Kaiba stared at his brother. Mokuba grinned and jumped off the couch. He ran out the living room. Kaiba sat there a few seconds, his body trying to catch up with his mind.

He chased after his brother. It was easy to tell where the teen had gone. He only had to follow the shouts of Joey's name. Kaiba managed to get a proper growl out and caught up to his brother quickly. Mokuba turned into the main hallway, shouting Joey's name still. Kaiba followed, about to speak over Mokuba who had definitely found the blond by the laughter, when he stepped into the hall. He froze.

"Ok Moki, calm down." Joey put his hands on Mokuba's shoulders, grinning at the other's enthusiasm. "What is it?"

Kaiba dug a nail into his palm so to wake his body up. He quickly brought up the glamour. Blue eyes and no tail. He then leaned against the kitchen doorframe, glaring at the blond and his friends.

Yugi, Téa, Tristan and, surprisingly but not any better, Marik Ishtar. The Dweeb Patrol plus one.

"Mokuba." Kaiba smirked when his brother flinched and Joey looked up at him, the smile disappearing. "You say one word and I'll ground you for a week."

"What?!" Mokuba turned to him. "You can't do that!"

"I can and I will."

Mokuba tried to argue but couldn't seem to come up with a good enough reason. He huffed instead and looked at Joey for help.

"You want to know don't you?"

Joey rubbed the back of his head. He gave that sheepish smile. The one he usually gave when his other friends were around. When he was trying to act as he did before the magic entered their life.

"Well, I guess…but maybe once everyone's gone. I might be able to persuade Kaiba outa groundin' you."

Kaiba huffed. Highly doubtful. Like he'd let Wheeler know a dragon can 'purr'. The mutt would use it against him.

"So what did we stumble into?" Kaiba heard Marik ask Yugi.

He watched Yugi smile and whisper back, "Just family stuff."

Family? Where did he get the term _family_ from? If he was talking about Kaiba and Mokuba, that made sense. But the way he said it felt like Joey was included...

Kaiba brushed it away for a conversation with the mutt and instead turned to said dog.

"So when were you going to tell me _they_ were coming over?"

Joey looked at him, avoiding his gaze. Kaiba frowned a little at the shy behaviour. Why was he acting differently…? Not because of last night. He had been pretty evident that he hadn't attacked Kaiba, despite the fact Kaiba vividly remembered it. Red eyes and all.

"Well I told Ryou…" the blond eventually muttered, still not indirectly at Kaiba. "I thought she'd tell you, considering…"

Oh yes, now he remembered. They weren't actually talking to each other. Kaiba had refused to talk to Joey that morning. He must have forgotten they were playing that little piety game what with Mokuba.

Kaiba sighed and stood off the door.

"You can have the living room." He then walked to Mokuba, grabbing him by the shoulder. "We need to talk."

Mokuba tried to smile innocently but Kaiba shoved him away from the group. He heard Joey chuckle softly before telling his friends to follow him. They did so, like the sheep they were.

Kaiba let go of Mokuba a little roughly. He let the glamour drop. Mokuba flinched with the less than visible pupils' most likely being directed his way.

"I was not lying about my earlier threat, Mokuba." Kaiba was satisfied to hear the growl in his voice and not that pathetic attempt at one. "You tell _anyone_ and I'll ground you for the week."

Mokuba mumbled something but nodded.

"Now go to your room. You're grounded for the rest of the day."

"What?! Why?"

"For playing that trick on me in the first place."

Mokuba gaped, anger in his eyes.

"But Yugi and the others-"

"Will be back another day."

"But Seto!"

"But nothing!" Kaiba pulled back, realising he had nearly snarled at his brother. "Mokuba, I know it was amusing, and in different circumstances I would let you off. But with Joey's friends here, I can't let you spout that nonsense."

"I wouldn't _tell_."

"I know, but you're excitement to tell Joey will lead to rash decisions."

Mokuba looked at the ground, playing with an invisible rock.

"I can still tell him though, right?"

"No." Kaiba didn't growl that one. "I would prefer he didn't know. And I'd prefer you didn't do it again, Mokuba."

Mokuba glanced up at him, grey eyes questioning.

"Why not?"

Kaiba shuddered as he remembered the feeling. He didn't like it. Well he did but he didn't. Not from Mokuba. It felt wrong from Moki.

"Just don't."

Then he proceeded to force Mokuba upstairs to his room.

* * *

Joey sighed and sat in Kaiba's spot on the deep blue couch. He remembered how much it annoyed the brunet. The first time he had ended up with quite a nasty cut. The second resulted the same. It didn't matter how much Kaiba hurt him, he loved doing it. It was payback for all those stupid tail touches.

His friends piled in, taking seats on the couches. Tristian sat on the ground, leaning against the long couch. Leaning against the armrest, Joey looked at Marik. The Egyptian seemed uncomfortable in the mansion, which was to be expected since it _was_ Kaiba's house.

"So when did you get here, Marik?" Joey asked.

Marik smiled, lilac eyes shining with a story.

"A few days ago. I asked Ishizu if I could come see you guys. She said I could as long as I worked at the museum. I was originally going to be here for three weeks but then Yugi's grandpa said I could stay at their place."

Yugi nodded and added, "Ishizu said he can stay a few months as long as he helps Gramps in the shop too."

Joey grinned and said, "Cool! Gramps probably needs the help. So you're not going to school?"

Marik shook his head.

"No use."

Joey could see that. This being their last year, there really wasn't a use in him starting school for the final year. None of it would make sense for someone who's lived underground their whole life except to kill an ancient pharaoh in a card game tournament.

Joey tried not to smile at that thought. To think that was their life two years ago. Card games and saving the world. Now Joey was stuck saving himself from magic that none of his friends knew about. Well…except Yugi. He had told him and the Pharaoh about it when things got too hard. When he was cracking under the pressure.

"So Joey," Marik said with a slyish smile, "why, exactly, are you living here? In _Kaiba's_ house?"

Joey shifted. He didn't liking that vibe. He knew Marik had been inside his head _way_ back when he were evil. This meant he had seen some of Joey's most hidden secrets. Which means he knew about Joey's 'slight' attraction to the brunet he was currently living with.

"It's a really long story…" he muttered, fiddling with a loose thread on the couch. "The short's Kaiba got sick and I got caught up in it. From then on I just haven't left."

"Why?"

"Exactly my question," Tristan muttered, making Joey look at him. "You could always move in with me, Joey. The offer still stands."

Joey smiled softly. He shrugged, saying, "I know. But it's just easier here. And anyway," he looked up at the roof, "I like Mokuba. I wouldn't want to leave him."

"That _and_ Ryou lives here too," Téa added, a glint in her eyes that made Joey shift.

He looked away while saying quickly, "That's not why! Ryou's here 'cause she couldn't be bothered leaving either. _Plus_ she works with Kaiba now, remember?"

"Who's Ryou?"

Joey looked back at Marik. But Téa answered before he could.

"She's a sweet girl. Really shy and quiet, but she's a nice person. Joey's had a crush on her since she transferred."

Marik rose and eyebrow and Joey felt his face heat up.

"N-no! I don't have a crush on her. I just like her as a _friend_."

"Sure," Tristan and Téa muttered, Yugi smiling softly to himself.

Joey rolled his eyes and lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He was about to suggest they play a game when Yugi started speaking to the Pharaoh.

"What?"

Joey glanced at Yugi who was staring at the space next to him. Of course, that's what everyone else saw.

Ever since his magic had shown up, Joey had been able to see Atem, the spirit in the Millennium Puzzle. He watched the spirit now as he spoke to Yugi through their private mind link. Though when he caught Joey watching he involved him too.

_'Kaiba grounded Mokuba for whatever he did.' _Atem smirked slightly. _'It sounds pretty bad.'_

"What did he do?" Yugi asked, catching everyone's attention.

Atem shrugged.

_'I don't know exactly, but it has to do with his tail and a feeling. I'm assuming Mokuba did something that made Kaiba…_uncomfortable_.'_

Joey tried his best not to frown. What was that supposed to mean?

"Hey Yug." Joey sat up so to look at his best friend. "What's he saying?"

Yugi took out that last bit and said, "Kaiba grounded Mokuba."

Now Joey frowned.

"Well that's not fair." He stood. "Come with me to save him from his bastard brother?"

Yugi smiled and nodded. They were about to leave when Téa called from the couch, "If Ryou's home tell her to come down!"

Joey nodded and they stepped into the hallway, making their way to the two flights of stairs they'd have to climb. Now Atem came out to stand next to Yugi.

_'So Kaiba's learning a tail has different touch receptors?'_ he joked, a chuckle at the end of his voice.

"Maybe." Joey smirked a little. "Now I want to know even more. Mokuba better tell me."

"That may not be a good idea, Joey," Yugi said quietly. "It obviously angered Kaiba…"

Joey waved the comment away.

"Kaiba's always angry at me. One more trick isn't going to hurt. And anyway, it's 'bout time I find something to make him uncomfortable with. That tail's been getting on my nerves lately, always touching me."

Both Yugis stared at him, Atem struggling not to laugh. Joey glanced at the Pharaoh and asked, "What?"

_'He touches you? With his tail?'_

"To annoy me, yeah."

Atem shook his head and Yugi smiled. But they didn't say anything, leaving Joey whether to question or not.

They made it to the white door which led into Mokuba's room. Joey knocked. The door opened a crack and Mokuba peered out. He grinned when he saw Joey, but the grin quickly disappeared.

"Oh Joey, sorry." He still hadn't opened the door properly. "I can't tell you the thing anymore. Seto will ground me for a week…"

"Nah." Joey smiled. "Tell me and I'll just say I figured it out."

Mokuba hesitated before shaking his head.

"I can't. As much as I want to, I don't want to give you any leverage over him."

"Oh?" Joey started to grin and he opened the door a little more. "Come on Moki. Tell me. It's about his tail right?"

Mokuba's eyes widened and he whispered, "How did you know?"

Joey gestured to Yugi, who waved. Mokuba frowned before he understood and smirked.

"The Pharaoh was listening?"

Yugi nodded, "He said something about Kaiba feeling uncomfortable when you touched his tail in a way?"

Mokuba nodded, eyes scanning behind them. Probably for the dragon brother.

"If you run your fingers down it lightly," Mokuba whispered as if telling a big secret, "something happens. I can't tell you what, for it ruins the fun."

Joey's interest peaked and he couldn't help but wonder. Why happened? Did it-oh wait…did it arouse him? That would make sense for his reaction…but he wouldn't tell Mokuba _that_. Though…that wouldn't stop Joey from playing around with it. Maybe he could stop Kaiba from hitting him…

"Thanks for the info Mokuba!" Joey grinned. "I'll have ta try it when everyone goes!"

"Wait, don't do that!" Mokuba seemed slightly afraid. "I don't want to be grounded..."

"Don't worry." Joey ruffled his hair. "I won't let him. One day's enough."

Mokuba sighed then waved, closing his door. Joey looked at the two Yugis and smirked.

"I'm going to have so much fun with this."

* * *

Ryou stretched and dusted herself off. A good two hours of training. After the fiasco of last night and then the piety fight the two had this morning, she needed a break. Now she felt she could handle them.

Leaving the training room, Ryou made her way downstairs to the living room. She was in a good mood. Though knowing her luck one of them would be there and ruin it.

She stepped into the room. She froze. Oh hell…

"Ryou!" The albino staggered a little as Téa hugged her. "You came!"

Ryou forced a smile and let her hair fall in her face. Great. She completely forgot Joey had invited his friends over. Now she had to deal with them on her day off!

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," she said quietly, noticing how Joey and Yugi were not here. "Where's Joey and Yugi?"

"Oh they went to see Mokuba. Did they not send you here?"

Ryou shook her head, going to the couch to sit. She stopped though, cocking her head ever so slightly. Who was this?

A boy with tan brown skin. He had bleached blond hair and lilac eyes. Lots of golden jewellery, instantly making her thoughts turn to Egypt. The kohl didn't help that image either.

"Oh yeah." Téa sat back on the couch. "This is Marik Ishtar. He's a friend from Battle City."

"Hello."

Ryou felt a strange warmth go through her as he spoke. That voice…it was familiar. Why did he sound so familiar? And look familiar too, now that she thought about it…

"Oh Ryou!" The albino turned around to see Joey coming, Yugi behind him. "You were down here already."

She blinked a couple times before sitting, thoroughly confused. Why was she so confused right now? She had just done training. She should have a clear mind, not be confused by something as simple as a new person.

"Couldn't save Mokuba?" Tristan said to the two as they sat.

Ryou noted how Joey sat in Kaiba's seat. God she was going to get it bad from the dragon. He would complain about Joey's smoky scent taking over the one place his scent _wasn't_. Ryou usually rolled her eyes as he complained.

Actually, if she hadn't been stupid and come down here, she could be training the dragon now. Bakura groaned inwardly. Now she'd have to wait to torment him again.

Tuning back into the conversation, she realised they were planning to play a game. As much as Ryou enjoyed games…she didn't really want to play this one. She wasn't in the mood.

"Hey Joey," she whispered to the blond. He turned to her with a smile. "I think I'll go talk to Kaiba about this Mokuba problem. Then we might train."

"Oh ok." He nodded and made an excuse for her.

Ryou thanked him and left. As she was leaving, the shadows behind a certain Egyptian shifted to form two dark purple eyes…

* * *

He smelt her before he saw her.

Kaiba braced himself for Bakura as he made sure his document was saved. He then waited for his door to open and the albino to storm in. One thing the two of them shared? They hated Wheeler's friends.

Ryou walked in, eyes still cobalt despite her dark cloud. Kaiba instantly noticed how the room darkened.

"So what's this about Mokuba being grounded?" she asked, surprising Kaiba.

He hid his surprise and leaned on his arm, saying, "He did something I specifically told him not to."

Ryou, as he expected, moved his stuff on the desk and sat. He knew the tactic she played. He used to fight her, telling her she could not sit on his desk or try to be any higher than him. Now he just put up with it, knowing she wouldn't back down no matter how hard he tried. But that didn't mean it didn't annoy him when she looked _down_ at him.

"Can I ask what he did?" she asked, eyes flashing with barely contained interest.

Kaiba leaned back in his seat, his tail flicking. He didn't show her his discomfort at remembering. Honestly, if it weren't Mokuba he would have less of an explosion. But it just felt wrong, Moki causing _that_ reaction from him. And he knew it was unintentional and completely involuntary from him, but it still happened.

"Can you leave it with my decision?" he countered.

Ryou frowned softly, her eyes starting to cloud with darkness. But she didn't change personality and merely said, "I'd like to know so I can make a fair judgment. I know this isn't life threatening, to you or Mokuba, but I would rather he didn't suffer in his room for making you uncomfortable."

Kaiba refrained from shifting under her gaze. He never liked it when Ryou stared at him. It felt different. When humans stared, they did it in fear or trying to get his attention. When Ryou did it, it felt like she was asserting dominance over him. And his instincts did not like it.

"I don't think you have much of a say anyway, Ryou."

_Now_ Bakura showed her face. She scowled, crossing her arms.

"Tell me Kaiba, or I'll add a little more pressure in our training."

Kaiba had forgotten about that. He didn't let his cool façade drop and instead let a soft growl come out.

"Fine." He didn't look directly at her eyes but he didn't look away either. He then proceeded to explain the events, Bakura enjoying every moment of it.

When he was done, she smirked and said quite quickly, "So he aroused you?"

"What?" Kaiba had not implied that…and yet… "No. He made me _uncomfortable-"_

"And 'purr'. A dragon's content rumble can elude to many things Kaiba. I wouldn't be surprised if he _did_ arouse you a little." Bakura flashed her annoying grin. "Plus, if my memory serves correct, Set quite liked being touched that way."

Kaiba blinked, his brain not catching up with the words. Set? Bakura knew that from Set? But how would Bakura's past self get close enough to…No…He was pretty sure Bakura had been male then…Set wasn't gay…maybe?

Bakura laughed when he didn't say anything. Kaiba glanced up, seeing Ryou now. Why had she come back?

"Don't think too far into it, Kaiba." She smiled softly. "We didn't do anything in the past. As far as I know, my spirit and your spirit are not sexually connected. Riyu was Set's guardian. When Set was a child, especially when he were sick, Riyu would calm him by stroking his tail and spine. This calming effect must have carried on to the robotic body which, now, obviously calms you."

Relief flooded through him. Good. Now it was less freaky and uncomfortable. Though he couldn't help but notice how Ryou said _they_ weren't sexually connected, as if someone else _were_ sexually connected.

"Well!" Ryou stood. "Let's go train. I don't want to socialise with _them_."

Kaiba sighed and stood, knowing he wasn't going to get out of it. Ryou would just teleport him if he didn't come.

Now in the giant white room, Kaiba stood across from Bakura. He didn't even get a chance at fighting Ryou. Bakura decided to come out straight away, which was not good for Kaiba. She would beat him in a second.

Kaiba sighed and pulled out the Millennium Rod. He channelled a small amount of magic into the weapon to make it grow. The diamond point grew to the length of a long sword. The curved parts coming off the Eye moved up, forming the top of a hilt. He held the weapon tightly in his hand, ready to fight.

Bakura grinned and flipped her daggers, eyes dark blue. Kaiba felt his stomach sink. He was dead.

The albino started to run forward but she fazed from vision. Kaiba turned on pure instinct, her daggers clashing with his sword. He went to hit her but she disappeared again, coming at his other side.

He rose a hand, blocking her strike with a golden barrier. Bakura grunted when he pushed it at her but she disappeared again. Kaiba felt magic on his left and he rose another barrier.

Two golden barriers on either side and a shadow covered woman before him.

Bakura grinned before disappearing in the shadows again. He felt the presence behind him and summoned a third barrier. Now he was surrounded everywhere but the front. His hand was shaking now with the magical strain but he didn't dare lower it. Shadows pressed on either side of him.

Kaiba then remembered the actual source of shadows and looked ahead again. He had been too focused on the shadows.

He focused too late and a dagger imbedded itself in his stomach. He gasped but didn't drop his arm. The shadows pushed hard and Bakura's eyes flashed with malice.

"Still holding up?"

He could feel his blood trickling down his clothes, leaving a warm and wet trail. She pushed the dagger in harder, making his sword arm weaken. He couldn't move it.

Kaiba growled softly before bringing his tail forward. He lashed out at her and she jumped back, leaving the blade in his gut. He had no choice but to drop his sword and remove her weapon, just so he could breathe again.

But as soon as the Rod touched the ground, Bakura was in front of him again, this time stabbing her other dagger into his shoulder. He lost all feeling and his arm dropped, the shields falling also.

The shadows descended on him and pushed him onto the ground. He coughed, feeling his blood start to pool under his stomach. He tried to push up, but the shadows were suddenly around his limbs, holding him to the ground. He growled and heard Bakura laugh.

"That was too easy, _Seto_." He cringed at his first name. He hated when she used it. "Are you distracted or do you just _know_ you can't win?"

Kaiba growled, knowing his eyes were slits. His tail tried to flick up, but the shadows held it down, causing pain to shoot up his spine. But he didn't let her see that pain.

"You know…" Kaiba saw her feet move, leaving his vision. "I might see how this tail thing works…"

Kaiba's eyes widened and he made to protest when Bakura grabbed his tail. He froze, his body remembering when Mokuba touched him. He couldn't speak, his throat closing up in fear.

Why did it scare him so much? Had he worked it all up in his head? But it felt like they were violating him when they held his tail. It felt worse than someone grabbing his arm.

He shuddered a little as ice-cold fingers rested between his shoulder blades. Those cold fingers ran down his spine, the tips only just touching. He felt the rumble enter his constricted throat. He tried to hold back. But then Bakura got to his tail, running _both_ sets of fingers down either side of it.

Kaiba's eyes closed on their own. The rumbling growl left him and he slumped in defeat, allowing Bakura to do whatever she wanted. He couldn't fight it. Nor could he deny that it did _indeed_ arouse him and make him submissive.

Probably exactly what Bakura wanted.

He didn't know how long he lay there, 'purring' as Bakura continued to stoke his tail. He felt like sleeping now. He was becoming tired and desperately wanted to move into a more comfortable position, but Bakura's shadows wouldn't let him.

Suddenly the cold hands disappeared, making his eyes open a crack.

"That's enough rest," he heard Ryou whisper.

He tried to lift his head but couldn't. His body was unresponsive and his instinctual rumble was ceasing. But he still felt tired and he still didn't want to move.

"Kaiba, you have to get up."

The shadows receded but he made no effort to move. He only let an annoyed and content grumble leave his mouth and reclosed his eyes, moving into a more comfortable position to sleep. He heard Ryou sigh before cold hands nudged him. He growled but that was it.

"Kaiba…" Ryou pushed him a little and he reopened his eyes, growling dangerously now. "That doesn't scare me. Now get up. We have training to do."

Kaiba sighed and tried to get up. He struggled to move his arms but, eventually, he had sat up. He looked up at Ryou who seemed more concerned than amused.

"Are you ok Kaiba? I didn't do anything bad, did I?"

Kaiba managed a dry chuckle.

"You've put my body to sleep." He leaned forward, resting his head on an arm. "I can't fight in this state."

Ryou frowned but sighed, sitting in front of him. She smiled softly.

"Alright. Mental note, don't play with your tail." Kaiba smiled a little at that, his mind still fogged with want of sleep. "Can you move long enough to go to your room or…?"

"I'm just going to rest here." He sat straight again. "I should be able to stand soon, but not long enough to spar."

Ryou nodded before lying on her back. He watched her play with the shadows. He tried to get his legs to move again, but they refused. Sighing, he lay also, tail curling around him. He then slowly drifted into sleep, not noticing Ryou watching him with a kind smile.

Like a mother…


	3. Chapter 3

_"Riyu! Riyu!"_

_Said dragon straightened, turning to the child calling his name. He smiled as Set ran into the room. His golden eyes were bright and almost glowing. He held something in his hands. Riyu cocked his head as he realised it was a dead animal. _

_"What's that Set?" he asked anyway._

_The child grinned and held it out. He was only seven but he far more skilled than most. Riyu realised the animal was a Spirit Hare. A very rare creature that could run faster than light. How had Set caught it?_

_"You said you needed one," the boy said in a proud voice, still holding the bleeding rabbit out to Riyu. "I saw it and caught it."_

_"I can tell." Riyu smiled and took the animal, warm white blood dripping onto his hand. He noticed Set wiping his own hands on his pants. "How did you catch it?"_

_Set's eyes sparkled and he waved his hand about. White blood was stuck under his nails and still dripped down his arm, but he didn't seem to mind. _

_"I used my magic!" _

_He spread his fingers out and golden wisps flew off. Riyu flinched and stepped back as golden wisps of energy flew around the room, turning it golden. Riyu stared, his tail flicking uncomfortably. Set didn't seem to notice and laughed as his magic filled the room, leaving golden sparkles everywhere. _

_"Set, pull in your magic," Riyu whispered, smiling despite his fear. "Jonouchi might see."_

_Set gasped and pulled the gold back into him, looking around for the fire dragon. Riyu listened and did indeed hear the heavy footsteps of his partner upstairs. The dragon appeared a second later in a blast of flames, giving Set a smirk. But the child avoided his eyes, the reptilian slits becoming a little smaller in his fear. _

_"What was that gold about?" Jonouchi asked, looking at Riyu with his one good eye. _

_Riyu shifted, still intimidated by Jonouchi. But he forced his smile again and said, "Set was showing me how he caught the Spirit Hare."_

_Jonouchi frowned before looking at the corpse in Riyu's hands. He grinned and turned to Set, who seemed to be shifting between happiness and nervousness. _

_"Well done hatchling." Jonouchi rested a hand on his shoulder, making Set beam with his excitement again. "Seems that training's paying off, yeah?"_

_Set nodded, calm again. Riyu forced himself to seem calm, but it was hard. Jonouchi still made him uncomfortable, despite how close they were. He was his best friend and practically _only_ friend. _

_Set was his pupil. The child they were raising for his parents, since they were not fit to raise a child. Set still saw them, but he didn't have much of a connection to them. His father was never around and his mother didn't really pay much attention. She had lost herself to her instincts years ago. _

_But Riyu and Jonouchi were still obligated to let the child see his birth parents. Riyu felt sorry for him. Although Set enjoyed it, he always came back different. And it took Riyu forever to bring his child back. _

_Refocusing on his kind of family, Riyu listened to Jonouchi praise the hatchling about catching the Hare. Riyu smiled at Set's happiness then went to drain the Hare. He needed its blood for a new potion he was going to make. _

_Hopefully this one would work, for Riyu was not looking forward to Jonouchi's…_monstrous_ behaviour in the next few days…_

* * *

Marik sighed, bored. He had lost in his duel a while ago and now Joey and Yugi were duelling. But it was taking _forever_. They were just too good for each other.

He leaned back in his seat, taking in the giant room once again. To think Joey Wheeler was living in Seto Kaiba's mansion…he didn't believe it at all.

Though he _did_ find it interesting.

Sighing again, he stood. Joey looked at him, a question in his eyes.

"Where's the bathroom?" he asked.

"Oh." Joey smiled. "It's just outside. The third door."

Marik nodded and left the living space. He stepped into the hallway. Walking down, he counted the three doors. He stopped in front of a white door, which was next to the stairs. He was about to open it when something caught his eye.

Turning, he looked up at the stairs. Marik frowned and stepped onto the stairs. He walked halfway up. His frown deepened. Was that a door?

Marik definitely saw the outline of a door in the wall. It was painted like the dark blue wall. He gently ran a hand across it, looking for a handle. He flinched as he found a small divot. Putting his hand in, he found the handle. Grasping the handle, he was about to open it, when a hand grabbed his arm from behind.

"What are you doing?"

Marik jumped and pulled back, staring at Joey. The blond had a small frown on his face, honey eyes seeming to become red.

"Ah…" Marik looked at the door. "Nothing."

Joey smirked a little, finding the excuse as stupid as it sounded. He also looked at the door.

"Investigating?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Marik shrugged.

"Why is there an invisible door here?"

Joey didn't answer.

"Joey, you _do_ know there's a door here?" Marik grasped the handle in the divot again. "Look."

He pushed the handle before Joey could stop him. The Egyptian looked into the room and froze. He felt Joey do the same next to him.

Before him was a giant white room. There was absolutely nothing in this room but two forms lying on the ground. One with long white hair and the other in complete black. Marik glanced at Joey, questions in his eyes, but the blond was frowning at what he saw.

Suddenly the one with white hair shifted and sat up. Marik then realised it were Ryou, the girl he only got two minutes to look at. He smiled a little as she yawned, blue eyes unfocused as she looked at them. Then she froze, eyes wide as she saw Marik.

"Joey…" Marik felt the other flinch. "Why is he here…?"

Marik saw Joey shift and step forward. Marik frowned at the fearful nature. Since when was Joey afraid of anyone? Especially a shy girl like Ryou?

"I didn't bring him here," he said quickly, waving his hands as he spoke. "He found it on his own. And I _did _try to stop him."

Ryou sighed and stood. She took a few steps before she disappeared, reappearing directly in front of Marik. The Egyptian yelped and stepped back, not expecting _that_.

How did she do that?

"Then I'll just wipe his memory."

What?

Marik stepped back again as a pale white hand came for his face. But Joey grabbed her hand before she could. Marik flinched as Ryou turned a dangerous glare on Joey, her eyes turning a dark blue.

The Egyptian was starting to get the feeling Ryou had some form of magic. Though what kind? And was it related to the Pharaoh? Most likely, considering the Millennium Ring he had just noticed sitting on her chest.

"Don't do that," Joey whispered, a small smile on his face. The smile did not meet his eyes. "Remember what happened last time? All those doctors…"

Ryou's eyes turned cobalt again. She sighed and dropped her hand.

"Ok, _maybe_ I shouldn't mess with people's minds. But," she glanced behind her to the other sleeping person, "you'll have to wake him up. I'm not going to."

Joey rolled his eyes.

"What if we _don't_ wipe his memory?" That would be nice. "I'm sure Marik can keep a secret. And anyway, he actually knows a lot about magic and history. You two could work together."

Ryou frowned, turning her gaze on Marik. The boy shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. So Ryou _definitely _had hidden sides…

"I am already uncomfortable with Yugi knowing. I don't want a stranger to know either."

Marik didn't like the vibe he was getting so he quickly said, "I won't tell. I promise."

Ryou studied him, eyes flicking up and down. Eventually she sighed and pulled her arm from Joey's grasp.

"Fine. But _you're_ telling _him_." She said this to Joey. "I'm done with him for today."

Joey laughed slightly.

"What did he do?"

Ryou sighed and muttered, "Fell asleep during training. Refused to get up."

Joey laughed now.

"Why the hell did he fall asleep?"

Marik looked between the two. He was completely lost.

"I may or may not have found a way to calm him instantly…" Ryou said with a sly smirk, eyes darkening again.

Joey grinned and said eagerly, "Is it to do with his tail? What Mokuba did?"

Marik blinked. Tail? Mokuba? Was that person Kaiba? Since when did Kaiba have a _tail_?

Ryou nodded to Joey's question, saying quietly, "Puts him right to sleep. It's quite amusing actually."

Marik felt like he should make his presence known, but he _also_ felt like keeping his life. So he stayed silent and waited. They'd fill him in soon, right?

* * *

Ryou quietly closed the door. She smirked to herself. Kaiba could sleep, but none of them were taking him to his room. He was probably going to be out for a while, since he had spent many nights working. Ryou sighed and turned to Joey, who had already started to try and explain their predicament. Ryou could feel Marik's excitement and it immediately made her uncomfortable. He was going to be a problem in the future. She could tell already he had a hunger for information.

Ryou left the two, ignoring Marik as he asked where she were going. She would let Joey give the vague excuse of, "She has her own stuff to do." Ryou was actually going to Mokuba. He didn't have to stay in his room if his brother would be asleep for the next few hours.

Walking through the shadows, Ryou came out inside the younger Kaiba's bedroom. She smirked as Mokuba cried out, not expecting her sudden arrival.

"Don't do that!" he shouted, climbing off his bed and discarding his book. "Why are you here?"

Bakura crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. She loved scaring Mokuba. It was hilarious.

"Your brother has decided to turn in for the day." Mokuba frowned. "So, you can come out."

"Why would Seto go to sleep _now_?" Mokuba glanced at his watch. "It's only 4:00pm."

Ryou smiled and told him what she had done. He ended up laughing so hard he cried.

"I only did it as an experiment!" he said once calmed. "I didn't think you'd find out _or_ take it that far!"

Ryou shrugged.

"I was curious. And anyway, he annoyed me today."

Mokuba chuckled before looking at his door.

"Is Yugi and the others still here?"

Ryou nodded and he was gone in a second. She sighed and made her way back to the living room. Might as well socialise a little bit. She didn't want questions about her behaviour, after all.

* * *

Joey sighed and sat on the couch. In a different spot this time, not Kaiba's. Mokuba had started playing a racing game on the giant TV and Ryou was reading. Or seemed to be. Joey was pretty sure she was talking to Diabound.

The blond looked up at the roof. He found it quite boring without Kaiba. He didn't have anyone to annoy.

"Hey Ryou…" The girl glanced at him, "can I wake Kaiba up? He's been asleep for _hours_."

He saw a smile flicker on her face and she closed her book.

"Are you bored Joey?"

He shrugged and waited for her answer. Eventually she sighed and nodded.

Joey was on his feet quicker than he should have been. But he was so _bored_ now that his friends had left. Mokuba wasn't in the mood to entertain and Ryou was Ryou.

Now back at the training room, Joey opened the door. He stopped in the doorway, more confused than concerned.

The room was empty. No trace of Kaiba but his white trench coat still crumpled in the corner from training. Joey frowned a little before backing out. Maybe the brunet had gone to his room? Or office?

Walking up the two flights of stairs, Joey knocked on Kaiba's office door. When no reply came, he opened the door a crack.

Everything was dark and no sight of the taller teen. A little disheartened, Joey reclosed the door and turned to Kaiba's bedroom. Maybe he had decided the floor was uncomfortable and gone to bed?

He didn't knock this time, in case the brunet _were_ in there and _was_ asleep. Opening the door, he saw a lump under the bedsheets. He sighed and started to walk in. He was stopped by a golden barrier.

"What the?"

Rubbing his nose, Joey reached out to touch the barrier. It rippled, golden waves showing a barrier the size of the room. It blocked all entry.

Annoyed, Joey reclosed the door and left. Kaiba must have known he'd come bother him. Made sense, since a smaller amount of magic usage was better. At least he could still sleep with that barrier.

He sighed and walked back downstairs. He would tell Ryou and Mokuba, just so they didn't panic either.

* * *

_"Imagine a long, very long body. Made of silver with millions of tiny scales. Scales so smooth and perfectly made it looks like one long sheet of metal. _

_Now imagine the end of that long, snake like body. The tip of the tail. Imagine three diamond plates. One on the left. One on the right. And one right in the middle, forming a sharp point. _

_Along the body, a little before the tail, imagine two back legs. Strong and taunt with muscle. Imagine four sharp claws with one back claw on the feet. The claws are pure silver, even more lustrous than the body. _

_Now up and along the body to the top. Where the head should be. But below that, after the neck. Imagine front legs much like the back. They are slightly longer. _

_Make sure this body is proportional, hatchling. It won't work if it isn't. _

_Imagine the head. Silver like the rest of the body. A long snout, rounded at the nose. Sharp teeth with fang like canines. A dark red tongue. _

_Imagine sharp, petal like plates coming from the head. A crown of them, swept back against the neck. Round from the head, pointed at the tip. Imagine the light shining off those plates, reflecting the beautifulness of this body. _

_Now, hatchling, imagine those eyes. Almond shaped with no pupil. Imagine them steadily becoming your colour. From the black of a dead creature, to the gold of your beautiful eyes, hatchling. _

_Imagine them glowing, growing brighter. Imagine the body starting to move, coming to life. Imagine the gracefulness of this creature. This dragon. _

_This _god_."_

* * *

He gasped and immediately sat up. His body was shaking and covered in sweat. Kaiba couldn't breathe. He was panting heavily and mucus clogged his throat. He couldn't swallow the saliva, making him want to vomit.

Oh gods he was going to vomit!

Scrambling out of the bed, Kaiba made it to the toilet just in time. He couldn't stand and ended up sitting on the ground. His body was still trembling. The cold of the tiles wasn't helping. He tried to stand, holding onto the rim of the toilet, but he couldn't lift himself.

Panting, he tried again. His tail hung limp between his legs and his legs shook, but he managed to stand. With help of the wall, he made it back to his bed. But he couldn't bring himself to lie down.

A sharp pain grew in his side and he gasped, clutching the area. He couldn't sleep.

Licking dry lips, he decided he'd try and get downstairs. He needed a drink and he wasn't going to be using his bathroom. He'd have to clean that in the morning…

Stumbling and in pain, Kaiba started to make his way to the kitchen. As he got to the floor, another wave of nausea hit him. He stopped, leaning against the wall. He tried not to vomit. His body was still shaking and sweaty. He could barely hold his own weight.

His head started to spin and that pain flared in him again. He put a hand to his chest, trying to find the point.

It came from everywhere.

He looked up and the room started to spin and fuzz. He stumbled, catching himself on a door handle.

The door opened.

Falling inside, Kaiba found himself in the training room. He took in the high white walls and the tightness in his chest eased a little. He managed to crawl the rest of the way in so the door didn't close on him. He didn't have the strength to stand again.

In the end, he fell asleep right there, on the cold ground with his tail twitching weakly.

He hadn't had a dream like that in weeks…and never had he had one that did _more_ than affect his mental state…

* * *

Ryou woke to a low rumbling sound. She opened her eyes and looked out her window to find the moon up high and the sky black. Frowning, she went to go back to sleep when that same rumble happened again. It shook the house a little.

Ryou frowned and slowly got out of bed. That rumble…sounded kind of like a moan.

She took a discarded jacket from earlier that day and made her way downstairs. She listened for the groan but it didn't happened again. Instead it was a grumble.

She managed to pinpoint the sound to the training room. Strange…

She went to open the door but found it slightly ajar. Holding a shadow dagger, Ryou entered the room cautiously. But her entry was soon blocked by a giant slab of…silver?

"What the…?"

Ryou stepped back before gently jabbing it with her dagger. The grumble came again and the silver moved. She jumped back so not to get hit.

When she reopened the door, she found something she never expected to be in this room. Actually, she never thought she'd see this creature in real _life_!

A dragon.

Covered head to toe in silver scales. Petal like plates ending in a sharp point at the back of its head. Sharp teeth shown through the small snarl of pain on the dragon's snout. Its claws looked just over her height, making the head bigger than a car but smaller than a truck. She followed its long body to the tip of its tail. She gasped at what she saw.

Walking hesitantly to the head, she reached out a hand. Resting her tiny hand on the side of its face, she realised just then how much bigger it was. It was scary big.

She took a careful breath, feeling the creature's muscles twitch under her hand as it started to wake.

"Kaiba…?"

A giant golden eye opened. No pupil but the colour was recognisable as the teen. She let her hand drop and stared. How could this have happened?

The dragon made a low grumble, eyes seemingly looking at her. She felt the ground tremble a little and turned to see the diamond plated tail tap the ground. She quickly looked back at the dragon, struggling to comprehend that this was Seto Kaiba.

She had seen many things. Many impossible things because of magic. But she didn't think by using Set's old body that Kaiba could turn into the dragon Set used to be!

_How_ did he do this?

"Seto…" she whispered his name, making his lips pull back in a silent snarl. She jumped away as those sharp teeth revealed themselves. He could kill her in one bite. "Can you speak? Japanese?"

His snarl faded and his jaws parted ever so slightly.

"_Of course,"_ came the low grumble. _"It's hard to."_

Ryou sighed in relief at the sound of his voice. At least he could speak. That fixed many problems that hadn't even arose yet.

"How hard?" she asked just to be speaking.

Out the corner of her eye, she saw a massive shoulder shrug.

_"It hurts. My jaw doesn't want to move."_

Ryou nodded, deciding not to make him speak too much. But she had to know how this happened.

"Can you tell me how and when _this_ happened?"

His jaw opened a little more for a second before he closed it with a low sigh. Ryou felt a shiver go down her spine and looked behind her as his body moved. She turned properly as the wall of silver came towards them. She walked back, hitting Kaiba's head.

She turned around again, feeling as small as an ant. But Kaiba only chuckled and rolled his head over a little so he could see her better.

_"Getting comfortable."_

Ryou nodded before stepping away from his head again. She was going to prompt him into answering the question when the door opened.

She turned and glimpsed a yawning Joey. He stretched before looking at them properly.

"Ryou why are you-" He cut himself off as Kaiba shifted, making it known he was here. "Holy shit!"

Joey stepped back, eyes scanning over the long body. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to speak but failing miserably.

"_Stunned silence."_ Kaiba chuckled, making Joey stare even more. _"The puppy's scared."_

This brought Joey from his shock and he glared.

"I'm shocked Moneybags! Not scared! And I'm not a dog!"

Ryou smiled at this. She saw Kaiba's tail move and before either of them knew it, Joey had been pushed up to where Ryou was. He blinked before giving a nervous laugh.

"So can you tell us how this happened?" Ryou asked again, looking up at Kaiba's golden eye.

A low grumble came out of him and he rested his head on the ground again.

_"Don't know."_

Ryou frowned.

"You must know. What were you thinking about before it happened?"

He shrugged again but didn't say anything.

"Kaiba."

He grunted and glanced at her, his attention actually there and not the eye itself. He sighed.

_"A dream."_

"Why were you here?" Joey asked.

Kaiba grumbled again and didn't answer. He merely turned his head away, closing the eye they could see.

"Kaiba…" Ryou rested her hand against his cheek. "What happened? Do you remember?"

She felt his whole body shudder at that. The albino looked at her blond companion and he shrugged.

"Kaiba," Joey tried, "did the dream make ya feel like changing forms?"

Kaiba shrugged again. Ryou got the feeling he wasn't avoiding answering, just _unable_ to. She moved so she was facing his snout and rested both hands on the sides of it. Her hands didn't even reach the top of his snout. His eyes reopened, confusion in them.

"I'm going to try something Kaiba. I need you to do what I say."

Kaiba's jaw parted again, his breath blowing her hair. But she ignored it and spoke before he could argue.

"I want you to imagine your human form." His whole body stiffened. "Imagine your height, your physique, your intimidating nature. Remember your morals. Your personality. What you stand for. Remember the love you have for Mokuba. What you'd do to protect him, and your company. All the hardship you've been through and how you've come out on top."

She felt his body shudder and she watched as his snout moved from her grasp. She stopped talking, wondering if she had done something wrong. But she then realised his form was shrinking.

Ryou didn't move until Kaiba was sitting on the ground again, in human form. Clothed. His head was down though, and he was shaking.

Ryou looked at Joey who didn't seem to know what to do. So she walked to the teen and crouched in front of him. He glanced up a little, golden eyes dull and emotionless.

"Kaiba…can you speak again?"

He shifted and didn't answer. Ryou frowned. How long had he been in dragon form? How much damage did it have on his human side? Obviously what she said helped, but…

Joey joined her and put a hand on Kaiba's shoulder. The brunet looked up then, staring at Joey in confusion. His eyes were dilated and fearful, next to no pupil left. Ryou felt Joey's sudden apprehension but he didn't remove his hand.

"Kaiba, you need to say something," the blond whispered. "We need to know if you've done any damage to yourself."

Kaiba frowned, his eyes narrowing in his normal frustration to the blond. He huffed and went to say something before thinking better of it and looking away.

Ryou sighed and stood, making golden eyes slide her way.

"If you're going to be stubborn then we'll leave you alone."

Kaiba only grunted, shrugging Joey off. Ryou caught the saddened look on the blond's face before he also stood. Ryou then called her shadows and left. She had tried to help, but if Kaiba wouldn't let them then he'd suffer alone.

* * *

Joey couldn't bring himself to leave. He knew something was wrong and he wanted to help. Even _if_ it was Kaiba.

When Joey didn't leave, Kaiba glanced at him. He rose an eyebrow and Joey crossed his arms.

"I'm not leavin' till ya say somethin'."

Kaiba scowled. Joey watched, waiting. Kaiba watched him too. They got into a staring contest, seeing who had the stronger will. Joey knew if he lost he'd have to fight harder. He tried to win…

…but it seemed dragons could stare longer.

"Dammit!"

Joey rubbed his eyes for they had started to sting. He heard a snicker and he glared at Kaiba who was smirking smugly.

"Well it's not a very fair game," he muttered, sitting in front of the brunet again. He noticed how Kaiba's tail flicked away and curled around himself. "I'm still not leaving."

Kaiba grunted and leaned on his arm, eyes going unfocused and staring at nothing. Joey waited, wondering if he'd say anything. He could feel it. He knew Kaiba wanted to speak, but he wouldn't. Which confused him.

"Kaiba, why won't you talk?"

Those golden eyes glanced at him again, but the annoyance was gone. It was just a hopelessness that made Joey uncomfortable. The look wasn't right on the all confident Seto Kaiba.

"Was Ryou right?" he whispered. "Have you forgotten how to speak?"

Kaiba shook his head. Joey was surprised by the answer.

"Then why won't you?"

Kaiba looked at the ground. Sharp nails drew invisible shapes on the ground. Joey had never noticed how long his fingers were or how claw like the nails were.

"Ok…" Joey looked up, thinking how to reword his question. "_Can_ you speak?"

Kaiba glanced at him then shook his head.

"Do you know why?"

A shrug.

"That's not a very useful answer, Kaiba." A small smile flickered on the other's face but it didn't last. "Did somethin' happen when you changed back?"

He shrugged again and Joey huffed.

"Why don't you _try_?"

Kaiba glared at him, a small growl escaping him. Joey didn't let his discomfort show at the dragon like sound. It felt different, knowing Kaiba could turn into that giant dragon with a thought.

"You were talking fine before. Even _in_ dragon form. Why stop now?"

Kaiba blinked in maybe confusion, maybe shock, before he looked away again. Joey was about to press him with another stupid question when he heard a shaky sigh.

"…I don't…" Joey leaned forward, trying to catch the quiet whisper of Kaiba's voice. "I can't-" He growled angrily, punching the ground. Joey jumped as the ground splintered under his fist.

"O-Ok…" Joey moved so he was facing the brunet properly. He swallowed his fear at the way Kaiba's eyes glowed with his anger, looking more feral than intelligent. "So the words aren't working. Ok then, don't speak. But ya gonna have to figure it out before Mokuba finds out."

The glow subsided a little at the mention of Mokuba. He slumped and removed his hand from the ground. His hand wasn't bleeding like Joey expected. Only a bit of dust that Kaiba brushed off.

"You know…I'm still pretty tired and it's the middle of the night." Joey smiled sheepishly when Kaiba looked at him again. "I'm gonna go back to bed. You can stay here if you want, but I think sleep will help ya regain some humanity."

Now when Joey said that, he had expected Kaiba to ignore it like everything else he had said that night. But the teen visibly flinched and shifted away, as if Joey had slapped him. The blond frowned.

"Did I say something wrong…?"

Kaiba hid his emotions again and shook his head. Joey did not believe him but he decided to just leave. Kaiba was obviously not right in the head currently.

He stood and waited again, to see if Kaiba would move. The brunet hesitated before going to stand. But as soon as his feet were under him he froze and looked up at Joey, fear in his eyes. Joey wasn't sure what to do with that and dumbly stared. Why was Kaiba afraid?

"You ok…?"

Kaiba looked down before sitting again. Joey jumped when a small groan came out of the other. Supressing a sigh, Joey crouched back down.

"What's wrong _now_?! I wish you'd just speak so I can help!"

Kaiba glared at him before growling. This time a dangerous growl of, be-careful-what-you-say. But Joey didn't take the hint and gave his own humanish growl of frustration.

"Stop growling at me! I want to help you, you idiot! But you won't give me anything! So if you're just gonna sit there and expect me ta read ya mind, then I'm leaving."

Kaiba's glare didn't waver. But his eyes flashed darkly and Joey flinched as he felt a sharp pain. In the back of his mind. He closed an eye as he rubbed his neck, the pain not subsiding. Where had that come from?

An annoyed growl/huff brought his attention back to Kaiba. The brunet seemed to be waiting for something. But…what was he waiting for?

The pain grew and Joey winced. Kaiba huffed again and started to tap his tail. Joey was getting annoyed by his half answers. What was he trying to say?

"Relax mutt."

Joey blinked, not expecting him to speak.

"Why?"

Kaiba gave him a look of just-do-it and the pain intensified. Joey held back a wince and forced himself to relax. Suddenly the pain disappeared, but it felt like his brain had gone sluggish. As if something was weighing down on him, making his vision black and fuzzy.

He quickly found it hard to stand and had to sit again. He gently rubbed his forehead as pain bloomed from there now. Why did Kaiba tell him to relax if it was going to become worse?!

_'It will only hurt for a while, mutt. Now stop asking questions and let me explain.'_

Joey jumped and looked at Kaiba, but the brunet had not spoken. At least, not verbally…

"How are you doing that?!" Joey stared at him, even though he felt that heaviness start to lighten.

_'A simple trick Ryou's been teaching me. She meant to start with you but you've preoccupied her with physical challenges.'_

"Wait, are you speaking in my _mind_?!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, his _mind voice_ muttering, _'Yes, Wheeler, I am communicating through a mindlink. Much like Yugi and the Pharaoh, but ours are different due to magic being used and not a natural occurrence.'_

None of that made sense to Joey but he nodded anyway.

"So answers. Why aren't ya speaking and why did ya freak out just before? And why didn't you do this _before_?"

Kaiba gave his cold smile and said? Thought, _'I couldn't do it before. I've been trying the whole time but you kept asking me stupid questions that caused more fears and less concentration. Ryou left before I could even _touch_ her mind. For once, I am grateful for your stubborn nature.'_

Joey wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not. So he merely nodded and waited for Kaiba to answer his other questions.

_'As to why I am not speaking more than a few words, I can't. I don't know what happened when I changed forms, but I can not form words. It was hard enough speaking in the dragon form, and I expected to be able to when I became human again, but my mind has not caught up. For some reason, I think I am still a dragon despite the fact _I _know I am human. Hence my magic growth and lack of _humanity_, as you put it.'_

Joey didn't know why, but he felt a burst of guilt. Had Kaiba been hurt by his comment? He had only said it in passing. He didn't think it would hurt him...

"I didn't mean any offence by that," Joey muttered. "I was just saying it 'cause speaking Japanese is what you do as a human and you had just been a dragon so-"

_'I don't need to hear your excuses. What you said was true and that is it.'_ Kaiba lowered his eyes. _'But I do think rest will give myself a chance to remember I _am_ human. So, as much as it _pains_ me to do so, can you help me to my room? My limbs will not work as a human either.'_

Joey blinked, then stared, then continued to stay seated. Kaiba…was asking him…for help…because his body wouldn't work? Whenever there was a malfunction, he always asked Ryou or Mokuba. Now he wanted _Joey's_ help?

"A-Ah." Joey stood and held his hand out. "I might as well teleport ya there."

Kaiba grabbed his arm, pointed nails pricking Joey's skin.

_'I figured you would.'_

Joey smirked a little, deciding against fighting on that snide comment, and teleported to Kaiba's room. He helped the brunet stand, to which he didn't last and fell on the bed. Joey would have laughed if he wasn't so concerned. What if he woke up and was a dragon again? What if everything went backwards and his body forgot _completely _about being human?

"Hey Kaiba…" Joey shifted when those slitted golden eyes turned his way, "what if I stay with ya tonight? Just in case."

Kaiba frowned. They hadn't slept in the same room since Kaiba's soul had been dying. That was a necessity, for Joey's body heat radiated magic and helped keep Kaiba's soul calm. It had prolonged his life until they found the body.

The weight on his mind shifted and made Joey's head spin. He shook his head and Kaiba growled softly, as if also in pain.

_'Don't do that.' _Kaiba climbed onto the bed properly and sat, facing Joey. _'Our minds are currently connected. If you move too quickly we will both feel the pain double.'_

All Joey could say to that was, "Oh."

Kaiba didn't think anything for a few moments before he sighed. He lay on his bed before sending in a quiet voice, _'Sleep here. I may need your warmth.'_

Joey blinked, not expecting Kaiba to agree. But maybe he had heard Joey's earlier thoughts and agreed. Whatever the case, Joey climbed in next to the brunet and lay with his back to the other. This was different to last time. This time Kaiba was not dying. Well…physically. And this time Joey didn't have a massive crush on him.

That crush had since subsided to a small attraction. The same went for Ryou. He still liked the two, and got flustered with certain events, example, this one, but he had room for a proper crush. He didn't know how Kaiba felt but he found he didn't care that much. It was probably better he didn't know.

As Joey drifted into sleep, remembering the events that had happened in this room not at all related to what he used to fantasise in class, the weight on his mind slowly receded. The blond completely oblivious to the fact the dragon next to him had heard every thought and seen everything in his mind until he fell asleep…

* * *

_"Masters…"_

_Jonouchi looked at Set as he dipped his weapon. The boy was thirteen now. He was still recovering from the soul transfer and had to rest frequently, but this time it was different. They had only just rested, which meant Set had something on his mind. _

_Letting his own sword drop, Jonouchi straightened and watched the hatchling. He knew Riyu was listening from the side. He was busy cleaning his own Shadow Blades, using the liquefied gold. Once every month they had to clean their weapons with the gold. It helped keep the metal magical and prevented it from tarnishing. _

_"Masters," Set said again, golden eyes dim as they were a lot recently, "when do I see Mother again?"_

_Jonouchi stiffened and glanced at Riyu. The white haired dragon stopped what he was doing to look at Set. Jonouchi shifted on his feet, knowing his tail was swishing in an agitated way. Set noticed all of these signs and frowned softly. _

_"_Am_ I seeing her again?" _

_Jonouchi sighed and sent his weapon into the Abyss. He looked Set dead in the eye, making the hatchling immediately avoid his gaze. _

_"We were waiting until tonight to tell you, Set," Jonouchi said softly but not soft enough to show it was undecided and Set could argue on it. "The High Master has decided to cut off your mother's connections to you, and anyone else. She is too far gone and can not be near human formed dragons."_

_Set stiffened and his eyes darkened a shade. Jonouchi didn't like that look but he didn't bring up his dominance just yet. This may turn into an argument after all…_

_"Why? What pushed her over the edge?"_

_Jonouchi felt Riyu rise but he flicked his tail at him, causing the dark dragon to pause and sit back down. This was his battle. _

_"When my siblings went to her home, to see if she had calmed at all, she lashed out and caused damage. She fled and has not been seen since, but we know she lost herself to her instincts. Completely."_

_Set's tail flicked, giving away his emotions. He was angry. Jonouchi stopped the grin coming to his face. This was not a battle involving physical contact. This was a verbal battle and he had to remind himself that. He would not attack his own pupil. _

_"So your siblings pushed her over? Violated her home?"_

_Jonouchi found it interesting how he didn't ask how they knew she lost herself. Maybe he knew about the things in her house…_

_"They didn't enter the house until she had Changed and destroyed the upper level." Set visibly tensed at that. "They found an underground cave like chamber under the house. Full of gold, jewels and more. _

_My siblings did nothing to her but knock on her door. Your mother is the one who attacked, thinking they were coming for her _things_."_

_Jonouchi saw a small snarl flicker on Set's face but he pulled it back and looked away. This was a _very_ interesting turn of events…how much had Set seen that he didn't tell…?_

_"Did you know, Set, that she was a Hoarder?" Jonouchi took a step towards the teen and he turned back to him. He saw the slight fear, but mostly anger, in his eyes. "Did she take you to that room? How much did she give you?"_

_"Jonouchi…" he heard Riyu whisper, but he ignored him. _

_"Where is the hoard starting in your room, Set? Hatchlings usually follow their parents in…_bad_ habits."_

_Set stepped back when Jonouchi was in front of him. Jonouchi couldn't help but smile at that, looking a little deranged. Set seemed to shrink under his gaze. _

_"Let me guess," he continued, "she was the one to teach you how to Change? To protect yourself and your _hoard_? From us? When we found out?"_

_Set stepped back again, his tail low and fear radiating off him. Jonouchi could feel himself getting drunk. Drunk on the fear and the dominance he held. The alpha title and the power. He should pull back. He should stop before he lost himself. _

_But he just couldn-_

_"Jonouchi!"_

_The fire dragon turned to Riyu, a snarl ready, but it died at the pure fear and worry in Riyu's eyes. He shuddered and closed his eyes, trying to calm. Riyu's cold hands on his arms helped, but it wasn't helping enough. He'd have to go out tonight. _

_"Sorry," he muttered, looking at Set again with his usual kind smile. "I lost myself."_

_Set didn't give him anything. He just stood there, frozen stiff and tail between his legs. His eyes were mere slits. But did Jonouchi feel bad? Not really. _

_"Set…" Riyu whispered, facing the hatchling, "If you _do_ have a hoard, we need to get rid of it. It's for your own good."_

_Set didn't change. Jonouchi sighed and glanced at Riyu. _

_"I broke him."_

_Riyu rolled his eyes and muttered, "No. You've scared the shit out of him. Go." Riyu let go of his arm. "I'll handle this."_

_Jonouchi smiled in an almost adoring way and disappeared in a flare of sunset flames. He wasn't exactly sure what the last five minutes had been about. _

_But he shrugged it off. _

_Must just be another part of my 'insanity'…_

* * *

A soft groan escaped him as consciousness returned. He slowly opened his eyes, his heart still thumping fast. He had forgotten that day. That day when he saw the first signs of _it_.

Focusing, the first thing he saw was gold. His eyes must have lit up and start to glow at the prospect of gold right in front of him, but it disappeared as he realised it was hair. A little disappointed, he followed that hair to the face of his companion. Why he was sleeping with someone evaded his still half asleep mind.

Suddenly everything came into full focus and his eyes widened. His heart raced and his tail flicked. The only thought running through his head?

_Why am I sleeping with Master Jonouchi?!_

He stared. His Master lay right next to him, eyes closed and peaceful. He quickly scanned himself and his Master, relieved to see no blood. But why was he so afraid right now? They were both adults and Jonouchi wasn't his Master anymore. He was still a few thousand years older than him, but he was well into his hundreds. He wasn't a hatchling anymore.

Trying not to wake the sleeping dragon, he started to shift backwards. He could feel the edge of the bed with his tail. Not too far…

Movement in front of him made him freeze. Jonouchi mumbled softly and rolled onto his back, eyes fluttering open. He stayed perfectly still; hiding his sudden fear and hoping the dragon couldn't hear his rapidly beating heart. But who was he kidding? Of _course_ Jonouchi would hear it, being the hunter he was.

His ex-Master groaned before turning back onto his side. A frown graced his lips. Brown eyes?

Kaiba blinked in confusion, his head pounding. What had just happened? Why was he feeling a sense of panic? It was only Wheeler in front of him. Strange…

"Mornin'…" Joey muttered, honey eyes losing the glassy look. "Sleep well?"

Kaiba grunted and muttered, "Not the best dreams."

Joey ignored his answer and smiled. Then his eyes widened and he grinned.

"Hey! You're talking again!"

Kaiba tensed at the loudness of his voice, but then the relief flooded in. He could speak. Maybe Wheeler had been right about the magic in his heat…

"Now we just have to hope you can stand," Joey added, propping himself on his elbows.

Kaiba watched him, the dream from last night floating into his mind. To think a past version of Joey had been so…well…he didn't know what that had been. Pushy? Intrusive? Harassment?

"Hey Kaiba, you awake in there?" Joey chuckled to himself and poked the brunet, earning a glare. "You have a bad dream?"

Kaiba slowly sat up, leaning against the bedhead.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Of the past."

He saw Joey pale a little but he forced his usual smile. Kaiba still found it interesting how evasive the blond was to the concept of past lives. He had been all for Yugi's magic and the Pharaoh, but as soon as the same applied to him, he backed off. It was strange to the brunet, for he accepted past lives now. He knew he had lived multiple lives from the dreams and the body he was now inhabiting. Not to mention the familiarity with the Millennium Rod.

"Me too…" Joey suddenly whispered, pulling Kaiba from his thoughts.

Kaiba watched the mutt, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead he said, "Did you…did you leave my mind properly last night?"

Kaiba frowned.

"Yes. I pulled out when you fell asleep."

"You sure? 'Cause I'm pretty sure ya still holding on. I can hear ya thinking _way_ too clearly."

That frown deepened. Wheeler was listening to his thoughts?

"Yeah, now pull out."

Kaiba growled softly but he pulled out again, realising he _did_ have a little bit left. Well that wouldn't have been good for last night…

"What did you dream, Wheeler?"

Joey shifted and muttered, "Of Jonouchi. He was being an ass and pestering Set. Tryin' to get him to cough up some gold or somethin'."

Kaiba squashed the fear he felt. They shared a dream. Which meant Wheeler had been _inside_ Jonouchi, just as Kaiba had for Set.

"He was trying to find Set's hoard. All the jewels his mother had given him," Kaiba explained, making Joey stare at him.

"Wait, you were there?"

"In Set."

Joey's eyes widened. "Oh gods, I'm sorry. If I knew _you_ were in his body I probably would have tried to stop myself."

Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Wheeler, you can't change the events of the past. That was merely a memory. You wouldn't have been able to do anything."

"But you looked so _afraid_."

"Not me. Set."

"But you were in him."

"Watching, not doing."

"Feeling though."

"I was not afraid."

"Set was."

"Only because Jonouchi looked insane."

"Well I'm pretty sure he is."

Kaiba stopped there. Jonouchi was insane? Made sense, he guessed. But wouldn't that mean Wheeler could go down that path?

No…the past didn't define them. They made their own lives. The past was just there as some other story. Kaiba knew he wouldn't be like Set or Seth. He felt he was very different to them already.

"So…_did_ Set have a hoard?"

Kaiba looked at Joey in shock. But it was a valid question…that Kaiba didn't have the answer to.

"I assume he had a small one, of the jewels his mother gave him. I said this before."

Joey shrugged, a small flash of red in his eyes.

"Well yeah, but I want to know if Jonouchi ever _got_ the jewels."

"I don't know."

Joey sighed and looked at Kaiba's clock. His eyes widened and he got out of bed.

"We have school today don't we?"

Kaiba groaned. It was a Monday. He forgot with the…_events_ of that weekend.

"I still don't like getting up this early," the blond muttered, "I'll see you downstairs?"

Kaiba shrugged and Joey disappeared in a flame. Kaiba flinched, even though the flames were dark red and speckled with black and gold, not a sunset.

Sighing, the brunet got out of bed. Good. He could stand. Maybe Joey actually _did_ help…but he doubted it. He didn't want to rely on the blond again. If he tied their souls…he didn't want to continue that thought.

Walking to his walk-in-robe, Kaiba took out his school uniform. He started to change when a flash caught his eye.

With his school pants on and shirt undone, Kaiba walked further into his wardrobe. He frowned as he saw something shiny sitting on a blanket on the shelf. Reaching up, he took the shiny thing. His tail started to slowly swish back and forth, like a cat stalking its prey, at what he saw.

A golden tiara. Delicately made. It was mostly golden beams. A rounded one for the base. Coming up from the base were two arcs. The backs touched, forming one pillar going straight up. Branching off the tip of that pillar were two straight beams. They went across to the very ends of the base, closing the arcs in two semicircles. In the centre of the crown, where the arcs curved into straight, was a single sapphire jewel. It was shaped as a diamond.

Kaiba ran his fingers over the gold. The cold metal left a tingling feeling on his fingers, making shivers go down his spine. He rubbed a thumb over the sapphire, the dark blue jewel reflecting blue light in every direction. Small divots covered the jewel, making it a smooth yet bumpy surface.

He continued to study it. It was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as the bracelet he had found in his desk the other day. Both were made by amazing crafters. How did they get it so smooth? So sensitive to the touch? So finely done he were afraid it would break if he let it go?

"Hey Kaiba!"

The brunet startled so badly he dropped the tiara. But he caught it before it touched the ground, his heart racing and arms shaking. That was too close. _Too_ close…

"Kaiba why're you still in here?"

Kaiba quickly pocketed the golden item and turned to Joey. The blond was dressed and leaning against the frame.

"We got to go. I'm surprised you're not dressed yet."

Kaiba did his shirt up and glanced at the mutt.

"Didn't you just leave my room?" he muttered, picking up his school jacket.

Joey gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about? It's nearly eight! I left ya two hours ago."

Two…hours? Kaiba left his wardrobe and walked to his nightstand, taking his watch and putting it on. It was indeed eight. School started in half an hour. But it was six when they woke. Had he seriously spent two hours staring at the tiara?

Kaiba felt the gold in his pocket and he resisted touching it again. He was well aware of Joey behind him, confused and waiting.

"I must have lost track of time," Kaiba muttered, doing up his jacket too, unlike the blond who always wore it open. "I was doing some work and you happened to walk in as I was changing."

"Oh. Ok." Joey didn't look convinced. "Well Ryou left with Mokuba, so do ya want me to teleport us there?"

Kaiba grunted and Joey sighed, grabbing his arm and taking them to school.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. I just thought I would warn you for the next coming weeks. There will be two to three week delays in my updates this next month. I just felt I should warn you before it happens. **

**So, on to the chapter. **

* * *

The next few weeks were simple. Quiet and peaceful. No big problems like the dragon form or spirits of the past returning. Only the occasional, normal fight. From either of the three.

Ryou had her conversations with Nothing still, the shadow figure. She still trained with the others and even tried to get to know Marik. She might as well know everything she could about a potential enemy.

Joey had effectively explained to Marik the events of the past seven months. Yugi was the same as ever, enjoying hearing the stories Joey had. Joey's life never got boring. Always something new to find.

The blond hadn't had many magical problems either. He still had the sleepless nights of Mr. Prowly-Creature-Outside-Of-My-Room and the dreams/nightmares of Jonouchi. But most of those consisted of the mysterious _Games_. The constant small battles Jonouchi and his companion, Violet, had to go through. All Joey had gained from those dreams was:

One, Jonouchi was a good fighter.

Two, he loved Violet very much.

Three, he had an addiction to blood and killing.

To think this guy raised a child. But by what he saw with the dream he shared with Kaiba, Jonouchi didn't seem to care much for Set. It was a burden, almost.

Though while things have been good for our Light and Darkness Spirit, Balance has been having different sort of problems…

* * *

Kaiba stared. He couldn't help but laugh at how stupid this was. How had this happened? How could he be so proud of something he knew wasn't even worth his attention? He was the richest man in Japan! How did these few items make him feel richer and happier than he had been in all his life?

Sitting on his desk were ten items. They were all random and had been appearing throughout the last month. It started with the bracelet. The golden bracelet deciphering the Blue Eyes White Dragon and the Red Eyes Black Dragon in harmony. Tied together by the tail. Linked.

From that came the tiara he found in his wardrobe. The tiara made for a princess by the small size and delicateness of its build.

A silver necklace with an azure jewel in the centre. Shaped as a water drop but still beautiful. The chain looked like water as it moved. He found it at school, sitting in his locker.

Then more of this jewellery, ranging from golds to silvers. All had some sort of precious jewel on them. But most were sapphires, as if the mysterious giver of these items knew Kaiba liked blue. It was strange. They had to be expensive and _any_ woman would want at least _one_ of these.

So why did it make him feel so good to have them in his possession? He had never cared about jewellery in the past. Not to mention he was a man and didn't see the need to _wear_ any of this. But he knew, just _knew_ he would _never_ let these leave his possession.

But _why_?

Kaiba sighed and rested a hand over his eyes. It was late at night. He should be going home. Mokuba would be worried and probably send the mutt to come get him.

The brunet looked up then and started collecting the golden, shiny items in a rush. If Wheeler _did_ come, he couldn't see these. If he did, then he'd ask where Kaiba had gotten them. Then he'd probably _take_ them and Ryou would _keep_ them.

A low growl left Kaiba at his thoughts and he shoved the last of them in the draw of his desk. He felt bad, leaving them in such an unsecure place, but he had nowhere else. If he took them home then _someone_ would find them. He couldn't risk losing such beautiful items…

Shaking his head, Kaiba made sure his tail was gone and eyes blue, before grabbing his briefcase. He hesitated though, and turned back to the draw. He took out the Dragon Bracelet.

Just _one_ won't hurt…

* * *

When the limo _finally_ pulled up at the mansion, Kaiba was anxious. He left so quickly that the car hadn't even stopped moving. He still held the bracelet, twirling it around and around in his hand. The gold felt so _good_ under his fingers. The cold was nice and the shiver it gave him was exhilarating. But he forced himself to pocket the item and wipe the soft smile off his face.

And anyway, he should be more focused on getting inside. He didn't know why, but he had this heavy feeling in his chest. As if something bad was happening or _going_ to happen. He didn't know what though…

About to unlock the front door, Kaiba felt his whole body freeze.

The door was open. Slightly but open.

Gently pushing it in, Kaiba quietly stepped into the house. Of all the people living in his house, none would leave the door unlocked. Even Joey.

So who was in his house?

Kaiba quietly placed his briefcase on the ground and stalked forward. He let his tail come out and eyes dilate. If it _were_ someone dangerous, he'd hopefully scare them so much they ran.

A glow emitted from the living room. He stepped cautiously, sniffing the air ever so slightly. Having a dragon body had some perks. Being able to smell an intruder or attacker was quite useful.

He picked up on the smoky scent of Wheeler. The sickly sugary smell of Ryou. The burnt caramel smell of Mokuba. And…someone else…fresh wood?

Kaiba stopped just out of sight of the doorway. He was in the middle of calming his heart when a voice spoke, rather calmly, "Come in, hatchling. You've taken _such_ a long time to arrive."

Kaiba bristled at being called a hatchling. He wasn't a _child_. Nor was he really a dragon.

But he figured there was no use hiding if she, as it was a woman who had spoken, knew he was there. He stepped into the room, cool façade up and calm radiating off him. Though that calm disappeared in a second at what he saw.

Couches had been blow to the sides of the room. The TV was broken and games littered the ground. Books had fallen off their shelf and the shelf itself was on the ground, splintered into pieces. All this chaos formed a circle. In the circle were the residents of his home.

Ryou was gagged and bound. A dangerous looking man had her in his grasp, holding her tightly to his chest. A hand was hidden under her shirt and Ryou flinched every now and then. Her eyes were wide with fear and Kaiba could see blood on her leg, which was currently curled under her in an uncomfortable position. But she seemed broken too, as if all hope had been lost. The broken look was terrible on her face.

Across from her, on the other side of the ruined room, was Joey. He had also been gagged and bound. He was barely conscious. Blood caked his golden hair and his eyes were unfocused. A woman sat above him on the overturned couch, gently petting his head and exposed cheek as if he were a pet. Joey didn't seem to notice.

In the dead centre was a woman. She was sitting in a kitchen chair. Under her was Mokuba, unconscious and bleeding also. But it was the woman herself that chilled Kaiba to the bone.

She resembled _him_.

Long brown hair. Startling blue eyes. Fair skin and a slenderness about her that made her very beautiful. Though she also had long, sharp nails that were painted dark blue almost black. A long, dark green scaled tail with golden spines running down it. Open green wings, golden claws on the tips. Her eyes were slitted and deranged, an insane sort of smile on her face.

Kaiba had nothing to say. His mind had completely shut down. What was he supposed to do here? If Ryou _and_ Joey had been taken down, how was _he_ supposed to win? Three against one. Not even odds.

A soft chuckle brought his attention to the woman in the centre. Her eyes flashed darkly and slid to Ryou, who avoided eye contact. Ryou was scared? _Bakura _was scared?

"I must say," the woman whispered, her voice soft and almost musical, "you built the body well. I mean," she looked at him again, "he's still my beautiful child."

Kaiba blanked. What? He _had_ no mother. She had died along with his father! This woman _was not_ his mother.

"Who are you?" he growled, his words carrying the animalistic growl his body was known for.

The woman laughed softly and stood, tail falling behind her. She bowed and straightened again, her eyes darker.

"My name is Beryllia." Her smile widened to show sharp white teeth. "I am Set's mother. Your soul's, mother."

Kaiba flinched, not expecting the reaction. It felt wrong, but also right. He knew this woman. He didn't know how, but he did. Though…

"You are not my soul's mother," he whispered, feeling the Millennium Rod in his hand. "My soul is bound to another mother, whom you will never know."

He didn't know where the words came from. They just tumbled out, as if some side of him felt the need to say it. As if it didn't _want_ the soul who held that title to be grouped in with this psychotic woman.

"It does not matter." The woman waved off his comment. "The body you inhabit is my son, as is your soul. But that is not what I came here to talk about." She stepped over Mokuba, her tail trailing over his cheek as if caressing it. Kaiba held back the growl that threatened him at his brother being touched. "I am here to _finally_ save you from _these_," she gestured at Ryou and Joey, "pathetic excuses of dragons. Or well," she looked solely at Wheeler," _monster_, in his case."

Kaiba glanced at the mutt, who still seemed unable to comprehend anything. He just stared at nothing.

"What if I do not _wish_ to leave?" Kaiba asked, knowing that was all she wanted and would continue to pester him about.

Beryllia laughed, seeming to find his question funny. She sighed when she had finished and said, still with that insane smile, "You will come. Willingly…or not." She started to twist her hand and he brought his Rod a little higher. The tip shined, ready to change into the sword at a moment's notice. She stopped, then her smile widened. "I am not attacking." She twisted her hand once more. Kaiba almost lost his stance.

In her hand was _his_ bracelet. The Dragons. The one that _should_ be in his pocket. He touched it to check and, indeed, it was gone.

A low, dangerous growl left him. He whispered in a no-nonsense voice, "_Return that to me_."

Beryllia grinned and her eyes took on a crazier look. She brought the bracelet in front of her and gently ran her finger along Blue Eyes' eye. Kaiba stiffened and heard his growl take another level of danger.

He missed Ryou's look of fear and realisation.

"You belong with us, hatchling," the woman whispered, continuing to stoke his gold. "These _creatures_ won't accept you. Not if you continue to steal their precious items-"

"Those are _my_ items," he growled over her, knowing his eyes had flashed gold. "Now. Give. It. _Back_."

Beryllia chuckled and, to his horror, _pocketed_ _his_ _bracelet_. He took a step forward but she was suddenly on

the ground, sharp claw like nails around Mokuba's neck. He froze.

"Come with me and join my pack." She pressed and a small trickle of blood left Mokuba's neck, a small whine coming from him. "I will leave this pitiful human and your _apparent_ guardians alone. Only if you come and leave them behind."

Kaiba stared. How could he leave Mokuba? But then, if it were to _protect_ Mokuba…

Clenching his fist, he whispered, "Why do you want me so badly?"

He had already made his decision, but he wanted to know. There had to be more of a reason for this woman to suddenly appear. She could have come at any time in his life, so why now?

Beryllia seemed to notice this and simply said, "I lost my time with my child. I might as well try again when he is still young and knew to his body."

Kaiba stiffened but dropped his Rod by his side. He heard a muffled protest but it was quietened. He didn't dare look at Ryou. He didn't need to know what that man had done to silence her.

"Fine." He put his Rod in the Abyss. "Let them go."

Beryllia grinned and let go of Mokuba. She came to him and held out her hand. Kaiba took one look at Mokuba, the bindings falling off him, and took her hand.

He was then absorbed by darkness and warmth.

* * *

Ryou crawled over to Joey, who had not moved even when the dragons left. He was still staring, his eyes unblinking. She couldn't imagine what he was seeing right now. She wished she could save him.

But no amount of Shadow Magic could save him. Only his will to live.

She gently rolled him onto his back. She winced at the bloody cut that had caused this coma. She could at least heal the physical wounds.

Working on fixing his body, she didn't hear Mokuba waking. She was too busy with her thoughts and fears. To think, she had started to believe she were free of abusive and horrible men. She should have known her luck would run out eventually.

Ryou lowered her hands. She looked back at Joey's face. She gently closed his eyes. He didn't react at all, as if he truly _were_ dead. At least he seemed more at rest like this. Sighing, Ryou found herself blinking back tears. In all her years of magic, she had never come across _real_ mythical creatures. Never had she lost so terribly that it hurt. Never had she cared for someone and felt as if they were going to die, because she couldn't live up to their expectations.

Joey was hurt. He was so close to death she could feel it. And she could do nothing. Absolutely _nothing_.

"Ryou…"

A pair of small arms wrapped around her waist and she flinched violently, turning to attack. But she stopped herself as she met Mokuba's grey eyes. He smiled weakly.

"It's ok…" He hugged her, burying his head in her chest. "It's ok to be weak sometimes."

Ryou felt her barriers drop and she slumped, allowing tears to come. It had been so long since she last cried. She never broke down, no matter how many men had destroyed her. Broken her. Hurt her. But this was something Diabound could not fix.

And it wasn't just the loss of Joey that was causing her grief.

She didn't know. Not until that moment. That _last_ moment, when he had defended his soul, did her memories return.

Ryou gently hugged Mokuba, her sadness that of a mother losing her child to the very creature she had strived to protect him from…

* * *

_It happened on any normal day. He had been reading. Reading a simple, normal book. As he usually did on a Sunday afternoon. _

_Set sighed and frowned up at the ceiling. He could hear sounds. He wasn't sure what exactly, but he could hear sounds. What were his Masters doing?_

_Putting his book down, Set walked to the stairs. He was partially intrigued and partially annoyed. He would prefer to read his book in peace. Hearing his Masters…Wait what _were_ they doing?_

_Set listened and heard muffled voices. But one sounded afraid, the other…menacing? No…seductive? He wasn't exactly sure…_

_A little wary now, the sixteen year old dragon walked the rest of the way up the stairs. He slowly approached the room the sounds were coming from. He frowned. Why were they in Master Riyu's bedroom?_

_Set flicked his wrist and his Rod came to him. Its golden hilt turned into a dagger and he held it protectively. Something was going on in that room. He didn't like the vibes and his instincts told him to run. But Riyu might be in danger. _

_Coming to the door, he took a deep breath. He pulled it open and froze. What the…?_

_On the bed lay Master Riyu. He was strapped to the bed by flames. He was naked too. His tail twitched and his body shook under the one on top. _

_Master Jonouchi was greedily kissing the man. He wasn't naked but seemed to just be enjoying Riyu's discomfort. His wings were partially open and his tail was swishing back and forth. _

_Set closed his mouth. What did he do? He had no idea if this was normal or not. Was it normal?! Between two guys? Between his Masters? But why did Riyu look so afraid? Maybe it wasn't normal. Maybe this was–_

_Suddenly Jonouchi stopped and looked up. Set stiffened and stepped back only to find the door swinging back to lock. He froze as his Master's red eye fixated on him, his golden one looking slightly crazy despite its usual lack of sight. Blood showed on his teeth when he grinned. _

_"Well…" Jonouchi whispered and Riyu's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. "Looks like someone decided to join the party."_

_Riyu looked at Set and the younger dragon got the message. He should have run. Should have gotten help._

_Now he was stuck too. _

_"W-What is this?" he managed to whisper, fear flowing through him. _

_Jonouchi sat properly, sitting on Riyu's midsection. The other dragon merely looked at the roof, his eyes a misty blue. He was afraid. More than anything. _

_"It's nothing really worth explaining," Jonouchi answered, red eye flashing darkly. "But since you're here…"_

_Set jumped when Jonouchi was suddenly in front of him. He heard Riyu start to say something but he was cut of. Set didn't dare take his eyes off the dragon in front of him. _

_"I've always wondered what you taste like…" Jonouchi whispered, a _clawed_ hand coming to Set's face. _

_The boy leaned away but Jonouchi only stepped closer. It was then Set realised Jonouchi had his hand around the Rod, prying it from his grasp. Set tightened his grip but with his divided attention, Jonouchi had managed to get his other hand close enough to Set's face to grab it. _

_In the matter of a second, Set had been pulled down, since he was a little taller than Jonouchi, to his level and had warm lips on his. His eyes widened and he tried to pull back but Jonouchi bit on his lip, causing him to bleed. _

_Jonouchi then let go and Set fell back into the wall. He didn't know what to think. Nothing. Nothing at all. Jonouchi was insane. All those rumours were coming true. Bloodlust, sexual abuse, insanity. It was all _true_!_

_"Isn't this a surprise…" Jonouchi licked his lips, eyes flashing again, "you're _almost_ better than Riyu!" The dragon laugh under his breath. _

_Set didn't move. He couldn't. How did he save himself and Riyu? Could he contact the King? Or one of the other Royals? Would King Yami_ _get here in time? Maybe. _

_Set sent the message as a brief help before turning his attention back to Jonouchi. But the dragon was gone. Set knew he couldn't be behind him. So maybe he was just-_

_Set gasped as a hand shot into his stomach. His legs buckled and he fell. Jonouchi removed his hand, grinning and looking every bit insane as Set had been told. How hadn't he noticed sooner? He had lived with him his whole _life_. Why didn't he listen and pay proper attention?_

_His vision started to black and he slumped against the wall. He heard Jonouchi speaking but the words didn't make sense. He heard Riyu replying and then a massive magical power. But that was all as darkness took over his conscience._

* * *

Kaiba gasped as he was thrown onto a massive pile of gold. The items under him dug into his back but he didn't pay much attention to them. He was too busy focusing on the woman above him.

Beryllia still sported that crazy smile. Her blue eyes reflected the gold under him and around them. He could do nothing more than stare. He didn't want to move. For two _very _different reasons.

"What should I call you?" she asked, crouching over him. He scooted back, not liking her almost sitting on top of him. "I can't call you Set since you aren't him mentally…though body and instinct very much so…"

Kaiba scowled.

"How did you know where to find me if you didn't know my name?"

Beryllia blinked before laughing. She crawled across the gold to sit next to him. He didn't move this time, since she weren't invading his personal space. Yet.

"I followed your scent!" She chuckled softly. "I felt your dragon awake and I knew I had to find you. If those idiotic excuses for dragons raised you again, I would have drowned in this gold again."

"Again?" Kaiba asked without thinking.

Beryllia smiled softly this time and she gently pet his arm, making him flinch and pull away. Her smile turned a little crazy at that but she whispered, "That is a story for another time. Right now, I must let you see our home."

Kaiba suddenly felt a rush of wind behind him and he turned. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Gold. _Everywhere._ Ginormous piles of it. Mountains high with the random red, blue, purple, green of a jewel. He crawled to the edge, not trusting to stand for the golden trinkets shifted under him as he moved. He looked down and saw smaller piles. But they all had one thing in common.

Dragons.

There had to be a hundred dragons. Each occupied their own pile. Some shared with what looked like a family. The dragons ranged from all sizes and kinds. They lay on the gold, the piles big enough to hold their giant bodies _and _have space left over. There were even some human looking people on the mounds, but Kaiba knew they were just dragons in human form. Like Beryllia.

And him.

He quickly turned his thoughts from that and looked at Beryllia, who was watching the same scene with a soft smile. He then realised the pile they were on was taller than everyone else's.

"This is a Hoard utopia," she whispered, a genuine smile on her face. "Dragons like us, who are shunned away from their packs or homes, are welcome here. To hold their gold. To live. To do what we want." She looked at him. "I made this place when those Volcan Children came to my home and took my things. I fled, knowing a fight was pointless. I then found this giant cave, with a dragon inside.

We were both Hoarders, driven from our homes. We decided to band together and make this place. After thousands of years, it is now a working utopia. No one steals from each other, and we work together to get what we want. It is not a horrible place to live."

Kaiba stiffened at the tone of her voice. She must think he hated it because he had to leave Mokuba behind. But…he couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful it was. The golden bathed cave didn't even _look_ like a cave. And all the gold and jewels were amazing. To think this many _existed. _

"Here." Kaiba looked back at her and she was holding out his bracelet. "I only took it to get you here."

He hesitated, looking at her face before the jewellery. He slowly took it, rubbing his thumb along Blue Eyes' head. He missed holding it, even if it had only been a few minutes.

"Look." Beryllia faced him. "You would not _survive_ in that human world. You are a dragon. Dragons must live with other dragons. You will feel normal here. Young, strong, _comfortable. _There's no need to hide yourself, for we are all the same. I can guarantee you, those _friends_ of yours would have taken your items and returned them to their '_rightful owners'_."

Kaiba felt a growl grow in his throat at the thought of losing his items, but he didn't show her this. He couldn't let her think he was choosing her side. He wasn't going to stay here. He had to return to Mokuba. Not to mention Kaiba Corp.

"I can not stay here." He moved away from the edge. "My brother needs me _and_ I run a company in that world. I am not a dragon. I am human. I was only put in this body because I was dying."

Beryllia shook her head.

"You _are_ a dragon. You _used_ to be human. Your instincts are growing and your strength is too. _I _can teach you how to control your powers and body. I can even help you change forms!" She lost the crazy look again. "Please stay."

"I can't. My brother-"

"I can bring him here."

Kaiba blinked in confusion. What did she say?

"I can bring the little king if you want me to," she continued. "But you must stay here a while and learn. I need to make sure you have control before I bring a human here."

Did she really want him that badly? Didn't she get he wasn't her son? He may share the same soul but Set was _dead_. Long gone dead. Why couldn't she understand that?

"Beryllia…" He looked back at the world she had created then back at her. "I _must_ go home. The only reason I came was so you didn't kill Mokuba. This place, it _is_ beautiful, but I don't belong here. Domino is my home."

Beryllia seemed to stiffen before her insane eyes returned. She frowned softly, as if hurt.

"Why do you continue to resist?" Her voice was hollow. "I have tried convincing you. Why can't you see how much I want you here?"

Kaiba heard the desperate and angry crack at the end of her voice. He didn't answer though. He was used to people getting angry. That he could deal with.

"I don't want to force you." She fiddled with a strand of her hair. "If I do then it will take me forever to convince you this is for the best. So please stay by your own will."

Kaiba knew he couldn't get out of here even if he wanted to. He had no teleportation abilities, unlike the other two. But Beryllia didn't know that. So he answered with the bluntest voice he could.

"No. I can not stay."

Anger seemed to flash across her face. Then it turned into sly crazy. Kaiba tried his best not to shift under her gaze, but his tail flicked on its own.

"Alright then." She looked behind him. A giant shadow fell over them. "I'll leave it to you, my mate."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait. I've finally got time to post so here's the next chapter. There is a fair bit of time jumping in this chapter, so sorry if that annoys you. **

* * *

Something was wrong. _Really_ wrong. It had been three days since Marik last saw either Ryou, Joey _or _Kaiba. None of them had come to school. When Yugi called Joey, he didn't answer. And none of them had Ryou's number so they couldn't call her. They had even tried calling Kaiba. He hadn't answered either.

It was the afternoon of the fourth day when they heard any news.

Yugi and Marik had been playing a game of Duel Monsters. Solomon Motou had come into the living room in a rush. Yugi had asked his grandpa what was wrong, but the old man had only turned on the TV and flicked to the news. Marik watched in rapt fascination.

The footage was outside of Kaiba Corp. He saw Mokuba and Roland walking to the limo, Ryou close by. Marik noticed the dead look in her eyes. She wasn't bothered at all by the media flashing at them or questions thrown. She simply kept her head down and entered the car.

The news headline, as what the reporter was rattling on about, shocked Marik to the core.

_'Seto Kaiba Missing.'_

Marik looked at Yugi but the shorter boy was on his phone. He was calling someone and, this time they picked up. Yugi's face lit up.

"Hey Mokuba. I'm sorry for calling straight after the media but what is going on?"

There was a short reply before Yugi removed the phone from his ear, a frown on his face. He looked at Marik.

"We should go over. Mokuba said it's too hard to explain over the phone and, I think I heard Ryou telling him to hang up. She sounded horrible. They both did."

Marik's interest peaked and he stood. Grabbing his jacket he said, "Then let's go."

* * *

They arrived at the Kaiba mansion just as the sun started to set. The cold winter air hung like a fog. Marik shivered uncontrollably. He missed Egypt. With the sun and the heat and never less than twenty degree weather…

Standing beside Yugi, he knocked on the door. The gates had been slightly open, very unlike the mansion. To Marik it seemed as if they were broken. As if someone had pushed them hard and broken the hinges.

It took a while until someone answered the door. It was Roland. The bodyguard from Battle City.

"Master Mokuba does not want to see anyone," he said in his gruff voice before going to close the door.

"Wait!" Marik stopped it and let Yugi speak. "They're our _friends_. Please Roland, let us help."

The man seemed to hesitate before sighing and opening the door. Marik walked in quickly, sighing in the warm space. He then followed Yugi and Roland upstairs. He had never been upstairs but it seemed Yugi had. What with his familiarity of the rooms.

They stopped at a room with a golden door handle. He doubted it were real gold, but he found it strange how no other doors had this handle. Was this a special room?

Roland knocked and they heard Mokuba mutter, "Come in." The bodyguard opened the door for them and then left, closing it after they had entered.

Marik's attention immediately turned to the albino girl sitting by a bed. She was sitting straight, eyes focused on the person in bed. He noticed how she was holding a pale, frail hand.

He stepped forward just as he heard Yugi shout, "Joey!" only to be shushed by Mokuba.

Both boys walked to the bed. Marik stared. What in Ra's name happened?

Joey lay unmoving in the bed. His skin was horribly pale and his lips were blue. His hair fanned across the pillows. Marik frowned softly at the whitish tint to the ends.

The teen didn't seem to have any indication of a dream or nightmare. Just a consistent blank face. Not even a peaceful sleep. Marik would have thought him dead if not for the small rise of the dark red sheets.

"What happened?" Yugi asked in a quieter tone, looking at Mokuba.

The kid didn't look much better. He seemed exhausted. Giant bags under his eyes and his eyes themselves seemed red and puffy. As if he had been crying.

"A magic induced coma."

Marik flinched at the softness of Ryou's voice. He turned to her. She hadn't moved and didn't move except for the small rubbing of her thumb on Joey's hand. Her eyes were dead. _She_ looked dead.

"What does that mean?" Marik asked quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Ryou's eyes flicked his way before going back to Joey. She sighed and whispered, "He is reliving the past. His past, their past, I don't know who's."

Marik didn't understand the part with _their past_, but he didn't ask. Something about her tone said to stop. So he instead turned to Mokuba, who gave a sigh as well.

"Come outside." He suddenly sounded like his older brother. Forced to grow up. There was next to no sign of the teen who acted like a child. "I'll explain everything."

* * *

_He sighed, leaning on his arm in a half sleep manor. It had been a busy night. Violet had found a good batch, but Jonouchi hadn't been able to take them all. He'd have to go back tomorrow to finish them off. _

_At least he had been hidden. _

_Jonouchi traced his signature flame in the wood of his table. A small table in the back of the tavern. He took a sip of his drink, wondering if he should return to the house or not. Had his bloodlust subdued enough?_

_He answered his own question when the smell of rain, metal and honey drifted in. He sat up almost immediately, trying to find the source. Whoever's blood that was _had_ to be good. To have a smell like that…_

_The fire creature's eyes fixated on that of a familiar face. A friend almost. But they didn't see eye to eye nor had they spoken in years. Jonouchi half wondered if the boy, for he had been a boy last time the fire being had seen him, would remember him. _

_A man now, with dark brown hair and fair skin. He was tall, taller than Jonouchi. He held himself in a way that rubbed against the blond. It was almost arrogant or egotistical. Jonouchi found himself watching as the man ordered a drink, his dark grey and silver highlighted tail curling around his leg. _

_Humming softly, Jonouchi leaned back in his seat. He made sure his hood was low, so the other could not see his face. It would be bad if he did. _

_Set, as was the other creature's name, did not notice Jonouchi until the other decided he'd done enough watching. It was almost as if the dragon had been waiting for Jonouchi to look away. _

_The fire dragon, as was Jonouchi's true form, glanced up at the taller dragon as he approached. The boy's dark blue eyes flashed, reminding Jonouchi of Riyu and the life he had abandoned after the Games. _

_"May I sit," Set's eyes flashed dangerously, "Master Jonouchi?"_

* * *

"Drink."

He didn't want to. He pressed his lips together. He didn't know why, but he knew he didn't want to. That _thing_ was bad. It confused him. Made things hard. Blurry. Fuzzy. It hurt too.

A hand forced his mouth open. He tried to fight but his movements were sluggish. Did he even move his arms?

The cold liquid touched his tongue, running down his throat. He nearly choked but his body made him swallow. He hated it, but he craved it. The sensation he felt from it was good…until it started to disappear. Then he hurt. And can't see. And can't move. Can't protect his stuff…

His stuff!

He tried to get up but firm hands pushed him down. He felt hard metal under him, the trinkets of this pile hurting now. But then they stopped hurting and he calmed, the hand on his chest easing too.

What was happening?

"So hatchling," Alpha? That was her, right? Alpha? "I've decided you can leave my care. Are you familiar with the term _betrothed_?"

He frowned. He _thought_ he was…but he couldn't remember if he knew the word or not. It _was_ familiar, the word, but the meaning didn't come. Hmm…_did_ he know the word?

"Whatever the case, I know a dragonell who wants to meet you. She has a nice hoard. And she's willing to share it with you. Until you can make your own…or add to hers."

He blinked, trying to see more than the golden fuzz. But it didn't work and he went back to imagining. A pile, not as high as this, since this was Alpha's pile, but a nice pile. With lots of gold and jewels. He could feel his item on his wrist. The Dragons. He liked them…

Add to hers? Did that mean share? Did share mean she owned his stuff too? He couldn't do that…his stuff was _his_ stuff. Maybe he could just live there…She wouldn't mind, would she?

"What is her name?" he asked, trying again to see Alpha. His vision still wouldn't clear.

"Selena." He felt clawed hands grasp his own and he knew that meant he was supposed to get up. "She's a beautiful girl. Your age. She can teach you how to fly and change forms and control your…selfish tendencies. You really will love her."

Love…her? Was that the friendly way or the mating way? Did Alpha _want_ him to mate with her? But he couldn't have children. His body was a machine. So maybe she just wanted them to be together? That was ok…

"I'm going to fly you down. Don't move."

He stayed where he was. He felt wind move around him and then something scaly grabbed him around the waist. He held on to the claw, knowing it was Alpha. They didn't fly long. Just down a little bit then he landed again.

He felt Alpha land next to him, her human hand on his arm. He still couldn't see. He wanted to see. He wanted to see the new pile. And the dragonell. Selena? That was her name, right?

"Selena." Yes, that was her name. "This is Seto. Get to know each other."

He blinked. His name…? He hadn't heard his name before…well not that he could remember…Alpha usually called him Hatchling or Child. So he _did _have a name…but why couldn't he remember it?

He felt someone touch him and he stiffened. A soft chuckle came from that.

"Sorry," came the soft voice, "I forgot you're still on the Cloud." Cloud? Was that the evil liquid thing? "I'm assuming Alpha told you my name?"

He nodded, still trying to pinpoint her voice. It was hard to tell where she was, even though her hands were on his right side. He then felt one of those hands leave his arm and touch his face. She guided his head to the right, where he assumed she were standing.

"Well Seto, do you want to share a hoard? We can, if you want to."

He suddenly didn't know what to say. Before he had been set on no. But…now he kind of wanted to. Selena sounded nice…Did Alpha want them to be mates? He wouldn't mind, he guessed, but then maybe he shouldn't be on this Cloud thing if he were to find a mate.

But then would he be allowed off it?

"For now, I guess," he muttered, realising her hand was still on his face.

"Oh, good." He could feel a smile. "Come rest with me a bit." He flinched when something warm connected with his lips. "I've never had a mate before."

Oh…so sharing a pile _did_ mean being mates…ok…he could deal with that…

* * *

She sighed softly. He was still dead. Still asleep. Why was it taking him so long? It had nearly been a _month_ since Kaiba was taken.

Ryou scanned Joey's face again. Where was he? He hadn't moved since the day they put him in the bed. He didn't give her any signs. Of getting better or worse. He just slept. Constantly.

She glanced down at his hand. She didn't like how pale and skinny it had become. They had tried to feed him but he couldn't. Mokuba had to get a doctor from the hospital to bring medical equipment so Joey didn't die of physical causes.

With her own usually pale fingers, she brushed golden hair from his face. Her fingers stopped though, resting on his cheek.

Was that movement?

Ryou leaned forward in her seat. She cocked her head a little. That _was_ movement. His eyes. Were they…were they opening?

The girl looked down at Joey's hand. She blinked as his fingers twitched. A very slight movement but she could feel it under her own hand. Was he waking?

She moved back to his face. She froze. His eyes were half open, red and gold peering out. Not his honey eyes, but _Jonouchi's_ eyes. Ryou pushed her sudden fear down and gently rubbed his knuckles with her thumb.

"Joey? Are you awake?"

Those eyes slowly slid her way. They didn't hold any emotion or thought. They were as unfocused as the last time Ryou had seen them open. But...it was conscious movement…

The mismatched colours faded and the usual brown took their place. A soft, rattling sigh left him and he closed his eyes again. Ryou waited. He had gone back to sleep…hadn't he?

But as she looked over him, she could see his breathing was more even. There was a little movement under the covers as he got comfortable. A content sigh left him as he turned his face her way, a soft smile on his lips.

Ryou would have cried in happiness if she had any tears left. Instead, she smiled, pushing away all memories of her past lives and just enjoying the moment of her friend being alive.

Alive, safe and well.

* * *

He rolled over. The gold shifted under his body but it wasn't uncomfortable. He actually nestled into it, enjoying the cool surfaces. He felt the warmth of a body next to him, but he didn't wake her. She'd wake in her own time. Right now, he was going to try and enjoy the feeling of fading gold.

He slowly opened his eyes. He squinted, pain shooting through his head. He held back his pained wince and slowly looked around. He still didn't see much but gold. Though, there were shapes now. In front of him was his…mate, right? He still didn't think that was the right term, since he was always on the Cloud. It felt like they were both being cheated out of something nice with him on the Cloud. Selena would never see his true personality and he would never _remember_ his true personality. Not to mention he couldn't even make coherent decisions. Everything was foggy and muddled. As it had been for…however long.

Though with the receding gold, he could make out a slim girl. She had dark purple scales and black hair…maybe? It was hard to tell.

Suddenly Selena rolled over. She turned to face him and dark silver eyes stared at him, a smile on her lips. He almost smiled back, but his head was throbbing so much it would probably look like a grimace.

"Good morning, love," Selena whispered, shifting close to him.

He watched her, still unused to seeing his mate. He didn't know if he should tell her about the Cloud or not. Maybe he could get out of it. Maybe if he hid his pain well enough, he could remember and see again.

Though he doubted it. She or Alpha would notice.

"Guess what we're doing today?" She didn't give him time to answer or think of one. "We're going _flying_. I can't wait to see you in your dragon form again!"

He smiled albeit nervously. He liked being in dragon form. He was good at it. But it was hard to mauver. He enjoyed flying. And he enjoyed hunting when he was well enough. But his body was _big_. He was probably one of the biggest in their pack. Him, Alpha and her mate were the biggest. Selena only came a quarter of his length. But then again…he _was_ a Shen Lung. She was a Wyvern. Giant wings for arms with her claws on the ends. Her back legs were strong. Her body was lean and her tail longer. He knew two horns adorned her head. He remembered being stabbed by those horns on his first day.

"But first…" He went cold. "Drink this."

He hesitated, wrinkling his nose in disgust, but she only pressed it against his lips. Annoyed, he parted them to swallow the evil, tasteless liquid. But his body _did_ shudder in craving for it.

His vision once again clouded by gold dust, he relied on Selena to help him stand. Well, get onto all fours. His head spun a little from the Cloud and she knew this. So she sat next to him as they waited for it to subside to normal dullness.

Once ready, Selena pulled him to his feet. He stumbled a little but gained his balance. He could hear a few pieces of their gold fall off the pile, but it only landed on the top of the pile again. A magic barrier to stop them from losing their things. Anything in their hoard would reappear on the pile unless they themselves took the item away.

He let his mate guide them to the edge of the mound. He flinched in surprise when lips touched his own. Then he heard her chuckle and her hand on his arm disappeared.

"Come on, Seto." He heard her move. Then there was a huge gust of wind. "I'll catch you if you don't Shift!"

Selena's voice was now a lot louder and slightly deeper. Not much deeper, but definitely louder. He sighed and a smile crossed his face. He didn't need her to catch him. He could do this easily.

He took a step back then ran forward, jumping off the pile of gold. He then imagined his giant, silver form. Next thing he knew he was hovering in the air. He could feel his body coiling behind him, making multiple rings as it tried to stay with him than spread out and infiltrate other's territories. The tip of his tail brushed their hoard.

He felt claws run up part of his spine to the base of his neck. He shuddered and smirked up at Selena. Even with the gold, he knew where she was. In dragon form it was much easier to hear and move with the Cloud. He felt her grin then fly up. He followed, his body spiralling up due to its large size and length.

The gold darkened, meaning they had gone into a dark area, then it brightened to almost pain. He blinked the light away and felt wind on his face. He kept going up, letting the rest of his body come out. He then turned to Selena, who was next to his head. He could feel her tail wrapping around his chest, below his forelegs. That was about her size on his length. If she put her head next to his own, then if she stretched out, the tip of her tail would end a quarter down his body. Past his forelegs but not much further.

"Come this way, Seto!" she shouted, flying at full speed in front of them.

He chuckled, loving when she turned things into a game. He followed at a slower pace although it was still quite fast. He caught up easily and flew under her. His body started to twist around her. Not touching but close. He heard her laugh then she fell, landing on the many coils of his metal body.

She lay there while he floated backwards, his head facing her own. Or well…he guessed he was.

"You're more fun like this," Selena said softly, nuzzling his snout with her own. "Why don't you ever sleep in dragon form?"

"I am too big," he answered. "I would fall off."

She laughed, "Yeah probably. But it would be nice to have you coiled around me like this while we slept."

He shrugged. It was comfortable. He didn't have to try hard to hover. His body did it naturally. So slowly moving backwards like this, while holding his mate, was quite nice and calming. He wouldn't mind sleeping in dragon form, for he felt much more comfortable with the Cloud like this, but he knew he wouldn't fit. He'd have to wrap around the pile and rest his head on the top. Selena's pile was big enough for two dragons _her_ size to sleep on. Not him.

"Do you want to find a new trinket?" Selena suddenly asked.

He cocked his head then shrugged. Why not? It was fun, scaring the few humans in this realm. And Selena loved finding new items. Though he'd never claim any of them. For if he ever _did_ move on, he didn't want to take her stuff. Her stuff was her stuff. He'd keep his stuff. He still hadn't given her two of his items.

The Dragons and the Tiara. They were his first and he would keep them until he died. His Millennium Rod was a weapon, not an item. So she couldn't lay claim to that either. But he had given her the other items…from somewhere. He couldn't quite remember where they came from. But they resembled human jewellery so he could only assume he got them from human realms.

He was pulled from his thoughts at movement on his very long body. He frowned at Selena, who grumbled softly to herself. She then looked at him, or he guessed she did.

"Alpha wants everyone to come back. Apparently she needs to talk to Higher Betas."

His frown deepened. So that meant he was alone? Selena was a Higher Beta. She'd leave him on the pile alone. He didn't think he wanted that…when he was alone strange things happened…his head hurt a lot…

Nevertheless, he started to head back. He would be fine for a few hours…maybe he could sleep…Selena wouldn't mind, would she?

"Stop worrying, Seto." He didn't move as she nuzzled the side of his face. "It won't be long. And, I think she's planned something for all of us to do. A little game."

A game? He…liked games. But what kind of game? And would there be a winner? He liked winning…he thought. Maybe? He wasn't sure.

Maybe he should just sleep and let Selena decide what they were going to do…that was easier and nicer for his tired mind…

* * *

"Hey Yug!"

"Joey!"

Joey fell back as Yugi tackled him in a hug. He laughed and hugged his friend back. It felt like forever since he last saw his small friend. But then again, it _had_ been forever. Nearly one and a half months.

The blond had woken about two weeks ago under the careful watch of Ryou. He remembered seeing her worried face multiple times as he drifted through consciousness. But he didn't dream like he had been the last month.

Joey shuddered as he remembered the dreams. He knew everything. Everything about the star Volcan Child Katsuya Jonouchi. The dragon with the abilities of both fire dragons and phoenix. The boy who had a good humour and was an amazing person. The boy who had killed thousands in the Games. The boy who had gone insane in his last few years of life and ended up killing himself in want of death. The creature that left the realms known as a monster under a hood. A monster that killed for food and the sheer fun of it.

Joey was afraid of that monster. For it had been around forever. Inside his soul as a part of it. Joey couldn't look at Ryou without feeling horrible. Shit, he doubted he could look at _Kaiba_ after all that.

Though this fear had subsided a little over the past two weeks. He had become more or less himself. He was healthy again and _could_ go back to school, but Ryou and Mokuba insisted he stay in bed a little longer. They didn't want to risk anything. And he was perfectly fine with that decision.

"Oh Joey!" Yugi pulled back, grinning widely. "It's good to see you again. You really did look dead the last month."

Joey smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Inside, he was cursing those dragons for scaring his little friend. And for making him remember every _single_ horrible thing Jonouchi had done.

"I felt it," he muttered. "Though it doesn't matter right now."

Joey looked up as the bedroom door opened. Ryou smiled when she saw him and Yugi. Though the smile disappeared and a troubled look entered her eyes.

"Hey Joey, are you strong enough to fight?"

He frowned. Did she want to spar? Why all of a sudden?

"Yeah…Why are you asking?"

She shrugged.

"I just wanted to know. I have a bad feeling about the next few days."

Joey didn't like the way she avoided her eyes. She knew something.

"Does it have to do with Kaiba?" he hazarded to ask.

Ryou glanced at him and reopened the door to leave.

"I don't know." Then she left.

Joey looked at Yugi but he seemed just as lost. The smaller teen smiled, as he did in any situation and gently patted Joey's hand.

"Don't worry Joey." He forced his smile to be a little more convincing but Joey could see through it. "I'm sure Kaiba's fine. Ryou told us how the woman seemed to think he were her son, so she probably won't hurt him."

"Hopefully…"

Joey sighed. He knew something was going on with Kaiba. He didn't know how he knew, but he could just tell. Something bad _was_ coming. And soon…

* * *

_He sighed and smiled in pride. He had found a room. A cave to keep it all. Now he just had to hope Darkness and Light didn't find it. Or catch on to his tendencies. But then again, he doubted they would punish him for it. Hoarding wasn't unheard of nor was it evil. It just made dragons a little more _protective_. _

_He closed the door to the cave and teleported back to the house. It didn't matter. The three of them were messed up already. So what if he had _one_ little problem? Darkness had multiple mental issues and Light… well Light was the Reaper. Those two were beyond sane and yet creatures expected them to rule the universe. That was probably why he was born. So they _didn't_ destroy everything. _

_Balance sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. Darkness and Light should be coming back soon. Hopefully tonight would be a normal night, _without_ the fight over Nothing and bloodlust…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry again for the long wait. Christmas and New Years took up most of my time. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try to get back into a routine. **

* * *

Joey and Yugi had been playing a video game on the new TV. The old one had been smashed in the attack. Joey had been mid-way _nearly_ winning, when Mokuba took the controller and changed to the news.

"Hey!"

Joey went to take the controller off the young Kaiba but, being who he was, he sat on it.

"Joey look at the TV!" Joey paused at the very Kaiba like tone in Mokuba's voice. "It's Ryou."

"What?"

Joey turned to the screen and, yes, there was Ryou. But no one would really know it was her under _those_.

The footage was live in the middle of Domino. The giant four crossroads out front of Kaiba Corp. That place was always populated. People _everywhere_.

Joey stared at the screen as a giant _dragon_ roared and attacked Ryou. She was currently covered in shadows, probably to hide her identity. She fought back. She didn't seem to be trying to kill it. If anything it looked like self-defence.

Why were there dragons attacking Domino? It couldn't be related to Kaiba. He had been gone two months now. It had to be some other dragon group. But why attack here? Did they know Joey and Ryou were here? But what would they want with them?

Joey watched as another dragon landed near Ryou. A giant, clawed paw went out to her. She didn't turn in time and was caught in its grip. Joey felt fear and anger fly through him. He was on his feet. In seconds, he was at the scene and his scythe in hand.

He jumped impossibly high for a human and swung his scythe. The dragon roared in pain and Ryou fell. Red blood fell in gushes as Joey landed, the severed claw lying on the ground. He quickly ran to Ryou and pulled her to her feet. Then he ran.

As far as he could get from the dragons.

Once he was sure they were far enough away, he stopped and regained his breath. Ryou was doing the same, the shadows wiping blood off her jacket. She smiled at him and whispered, "Thanks."

Joey smirked then slumped against the wall. He ignored the fact he had absolutely _no _idea how he did that. That big jump. Or how he summoned the scythe. Instead, he looked up…then immediately groaned.

_More_ dragons.

They were flying and landing on buildings, causing wreckage and destruction everywhere. He grabbed Ryou's arm and teleported to the roof of a building.

One good thing about that coma? His magic had grown. It was _much_ easier to control. That didn't mean he _understood_ half of it…

Fires of all colours littered the ground. Dragons of all sizes swooped and grabbed things. Not people. Objects. Joey could see people running. The dragons ignored them. Well most of the time. Joey was sure he saw one dragon flick a human away with its claw.

"Where did they come from?" Joey whispered, looking at Ryou.

She was gazing up at the sky. Joey followed her gaze. He frowned. There was a giant tear in the clouds. As if someone had grabbed a knife and pulled it across a sheet of fabric. A faint golden glow came from the tear. Dragons crawled out. Some went back in. It was almost as if they were scourging. Looking for something. But would Domino have of any value to dragons?

Joey was about to ask Ryou his questions, when she grabbed his arm and pointed at the sky. He looked back up. His eyes widened.

Coming out of the tear were two dragons. One had dark purple scales. The other _very_ familiar silver scales. The dragons flew out and twirled around each other. It was almost as if they were playing. The silver one roared and the purple one replied, both of them seeming to laugh afterwards.

"Kaiba…" Joey found himself whispering in a breath of disbelief.

He watched the giant, sliver snake like dragon fly high into the sky. The purple one, which was significantly smaller, followed. It flew through the many loops of Kaiba's body. Kaiba arched down. His head meet the female dragon. At least, Joey figured it was a female by her higher pitched chirps of laughter.

The female grinned and nuzzled Kaiba's snout before flying out of the coils of his body. She ran a clawed finger down his neck, making a low rumble fill the sky, before she flew towards Kaiba Corp.

Kaiba followed.

Joey stared after them. Why was Kaiba here…? Why was he letting the dragons destroy Domino? Why the hell was he curling around Kaiba Corp and squeezing it so much the glass cracked?!

"Come on Joey. We have to follow them."

Joey looked at Ryou in utter shock.

"What?! Why? Kaiba's obviously too busy with his _girlfriend_ to notice us!"

Ryou rose an eyebrow at his behaviour but grabbed his arm anyway. She teleported them to the roof of Kaiba Corp. Joey scowled at the silver Shen Lung. Why was Kaiba joining this little _party?_ Domino was his home!

"You know what?" Joey started to walk towards the dragon, despite Ryou's hissed shouts to get him to come back. "I'm going ta wake him up. If that bastard thinks he can just _leave_ then try and destroy our _home_, then he's got another thing coming."

Ryou sighed but let him go. Joey teleported to the highest point. This being a big white block thing. Probably had a bunch of technological stuff in it. He didn't really care enough to know.

The two dragons seemed to be communicating through growls. He waited for them to finish. The purple one, he now saw, had silver eyes and black spines running down her spine. Not to mention black horns on her head. She _kissed_ Kaiba's snout before flying away, pushing off the building.

Joey watched as Kaiba sighed. He continued to stare in that direction. Anger was filling the blond. But he didn't know if he was angry at Kaiba for coming here as a dragon and not stopping his _girlfriend_, or the fact he _had_ a girlfriend. Was it jealousy he was feeling?

Joey shook his head and stepped into view. Kaiba did not move.

"Hey Rich Boy!"

No response. Joey frowned. Did Kaiba hear him?

"Oi Kaiba!"

Still no response. Gritting his teeth, Joey tried using the one thing he _knew_ annoyed Kaiba to no end.

"Seto!"

Now the dragon responded. The giant, silver head turned his way. Pupilless golden eyes seemed to stare at nothing as his head stopped in front of Joey. Joey stood still as that silver snout stopped _directly_ in front of him, hot air blowing his hair.

Joey waited for Kaiba to say something, but he didn't. He just sat there, head mere centimetres from Joey's. The blond leaned to the side to look into Kaiba's eyes. They were…blank. Glassy almost…

"Hey Kaiba, you gonna say something?"

The dragon seemed to frown. Its jaw parted ever so slightly, razor sharp teeth just visible.

_"Who is speaking?"_

Joey blinked. What…?

"What do ya mean 'who is speakin'?! You've only been gone two months, ass! How can ya forget me that quickly?! We hate each other!"

The dragon shifted and more hot air came out of his nostrils. A low grumble left Kaiba.

_"Then why do you sound hurt?" _His head cocked ever so slightly. _"If we hate each other, human, why do you stink of jealousy and pain?" _

Joey opened his mouth to retort but stopped short. Did he just call him_ human_?

"Ok Kaiba," Joey laughed a nervous sort of chuckle, "stop playing around. Ya not a dragon and you know who I am. I get ya probably like your new home more, since ya have a girlfriend, but you can't forget us _that_ quickly."

_"I do not know what you are talking about." _The dragon pushed back so his head was towering over Joey. _"You smell familiar, human, but I can not place it. You sound familiar too..." _Kaiba growled and shook his head, causing Joey to nearly lose his balance as the whole building moved. _"Stupid Cloud…"_

Cloud…?

"_Tell me something human." _His head came back down and Joey stepped back so not to be hit. _"_Do _I know you? My memory is terrible with the Cloud, so I only know what I have been told since taking it."_

Joey blinked slowly. This Cloud thing…sounded almost like a drug…

"Yeah, you know me…" he whispered, making a low rumble escape the dragon. "My name is Joey. We're friends…We've known each other for nearly four years now…"

Kaiba closed his eyes and nodded slightly.

_"Very familiar…But…what does the term friend mean?"_

What the hell was this drug?!

"Friend's are people you like to be around."

"_Then why do you smell like you are a part of my hoard?"_

…What?

Joey was about to ask what the hell _that_ meant, when a strong wind picked up. He shielded his eyes of dust and Kaiba pulled back. He went to look up–

–he wasn't on the ground anymore!

Pain flared through his ribs. He looked down to see giant talons wrapped around his waist. He then realised he was face to face with the female dragon. The purple one.

"_Who are you?" _she growled, silver eyes flashing darkly. _"What are you doing to my mate?"_

Shit! He was going to die wasn't he? She looked like she wanted to kill him. Her grip was growing tighter the longer he took to answer.

"_Selena…"_

The female's eyes widened and she turned to Kaiba. Surprise was written across her face. Joey struggled to breathe now.

"_Give him to me." _

_"What? Why? He was using magic on you!"_

Kaiba shook his head and climbed up to them. Kaiba Corp creaked under his weight and the building tilted a little. Joey didn't pay as much attention to that. He was too busy focusing on his burning lungs–

"_It is a bond."_ Kaiba's voice was soft, compared to the normal CEO. "_He, surprisingly, is from my old hoard. I didn't know you could have humans in a hoard, but I can feel my mark on him."_

Mark…?

The grip on him tightened for a second before loosening. Joey took in a deep breath of air while looked at the silver dragon. He wasn't looking at either of them, just facing the way of the female.

_"Does that mean I share him?" _the female asked, instantly making Joey go cold.

But Kaiba shook his head and, for the first time, an emotion showed in his eyes. Possessiveness.

"_He is from _my_ hoard. I can not share him."_

The female seemed disheartened at that but she shrugged it off. She turned back to Joey, who was watching this whole exchange with a look of horror. They were _bargaining_ over him. As if he were an _object_!

"_Alright human." _

The female dropped him.

Joey screamed as no one had caught him. He could see the ground coming. He couldn't focus. How was he supposed to save himself–

He stopped. Joey blinked at the silver under him and sighed, slumping against it. Thank gods Kaiba seemed to care.

He was lifted back up to the dragons' level but this time he was in front of Kaiba instead of the female. The dragon smirked, much like the Kaiba Joey knew, before moving him into a giant clawed hand. Joey didn't like this predicament, but he couldn't teleport. He needed to be touching the ground so the flames could travel. He couldn't do that in the air. Not yet.

"_I wish I could see you human,"_ Kaiba whispered, a sense of sadness and longing in his voice. _"You must be beautiful to be a part of my hoard…"_

Joey had no idea what to think to that.

Suddenly Kaiba moved and they were flying high. Joey closed his eyes, not liking the height. He could feel Kaiba's metallic chest behind him. He didn't like this. Too high without any of his control. How did Jonouchi love flying so much?

Joey felt a sense of weightlessness before normal again. He opened his eyes a crack and stared. Where on earth _were_ they?

* * *

He landed on their pile with a loud clanging. Many trinkets fell and reappeared on the top by the sound of it. He dug his claws into the gold to stay on, much like he had done on that building. He rested his head on the top. He could feel the human squirming in his grasp and he tightened a little. He heard a soft yelp that made him smirk. Why did this make him feel good?

"Here, Seto." He heard Selena walking on the gold, in human form by the softness of her voice. "Let him go and I'll bind him. Then you can shift."

He nodded and let go of the human. He didn't pay much attention to the other two and instead changed forms. He crawled further onto the pile, not trusting himself to stand on two legs. He then sat and waited.

Eventually something was pushed next to him and soft hair touched his hand. He glanced down at it, wishing he could see. He wanted to know what the human looked like. Why would he mark a human for no reason? He had to look good, like the rest of his items.

"Comfortable, human?" he asked, feeling the shock from Selena. He didn't speak often on his own. Only when spoken too. And even then it was few words.

He heard a grunt then, "Could be better. Gold's not exactly comfy."

He blinked in shock. What did he mean? Gold was possibly the most comfortable thing he could remember ever lying on! Maybe humans were different…

"Get used to it human," Selena muttered, coming on the other side of him. "What's his name?" she asked him.

He shrugged.

"I don't remember."

"It's Joey," the human answered, annoyance in his voice.

Selena chuckled softly before reaching over him. He felt her touch the human and he growled, making her pull back and chuckle again.

"I'm not doing anything!" She defended through laughter.

"Don't touch my stuff."

But he was smiling. She was playing, despite how much it bothered him when she touched the human. Joey was _his_. No one else's.

"Ya know I don't _belong_ to ya, Kaiba." That name again! He didn't remember it yet the human kept calling him that. "You just think that."

He grunted and reached out a hand to find the human. His fingers connected with fabric and he realised it was a shirt. He pulled the human closer to him.

"I don't think you understand the concept of a _Hoarder,_ human."

He smirked and he heard the human huff in a good humoured annoyance. But then he heard Selena get up. He followed her steps to the edge of their pile. He waited for her to tell him where she was going.

"I'm going to tell Alpha what happened. I'll bring back Cloud."

He stiffened but nodded, staring in front of him even though Selena was behind him. He heard the flap of her wings and she was gone. But…he wasn't alone this time…

"So…she _is_ ya girlfriend?" the human asked, making him look where the voice came from.

He did not know what the concept of _girlfriend_ was, but by the way Joey said it, it sounded like mate. But then the human also sounded jealous. Annoyed he _had_ a mate.

"She says mate," he answered. "I do not care. I only share a pile with her."

"Sure…" He could feel the human smirk. "Then what's with the lovey dovey stuff you guys do."

Lovey…dovey? What did that mean? The human must have seen his confusion for he continued with, "You guys kiss right?" He nodded slowly, even though Selena always kissed him. "You've had sex?"

"…Sex…?"

Joey laughed and he felt him shift under his hand. He pulled him back to him, making the human wince as a piece of gold dug into his back.

"You know…" the human sounded like he was having lots of fun. "When ya get naked, sleep together, make love."

No. Never. Never happened before.

"Seto."

He looked up, hearing Selena. He then felt something cold against his lips and he leaned back. Not now. He wanted to see! He wanted to see his human, not the golden cloud!

"Drink, Seto."

He flinched at the darkness in her voice and parted his lips. She forced him to drink it and the gold thickened. He moaned softly before lying down, tired. She gave it to him early. Now his head hurt _more_ that usual.

"Hey! What was that?"

He grumbled something, trying to tell the human to shut up, but he was already falling asleep. He heard Selena say something then the human get angry. He nudged the human softly and muttered, "It's fine. It's not bad." Even though he knew it was.

But he didn't want Joey to get hurt. Not when he couldn't protect him…

* * *

Ryou sighed and lay face first on her bed.

"Nothing…" she moaned.

She felt the coldness of his shadow form appear on top of her. She smiled a little as she felt a semi-solid hand run up her side, trying to reach her breasts, when she turned over and squashed most of his shadows. She couldn't remember when this strange sort of game started, but she enjoyed making it difficult for him.

"_Hey! No fair_."

Ryou giggled but she turned morbid again. She put her hands on Nothing's half solid shoulders. His face was partially there and his dark purple eyes glowed brightly.

"Nothing, what is happening? Why is Kaiba like he is?"

The god frowned before sighing. He didn't get off/out from under her and only lay with his semi-torso on/under her. She didn't feel it, him being a shadow.

"_He is on a _very_ heavy drug. It goes by many names, but the most well known is Cloud_."

"What does it do?"

A small fear flashed through Nothing's eyes. But he gave her his usual smirk and kissed her softly. His lips were cold and not really there.

"_Can we talk about this another time?_"

"No."

"_Please?_"

"Nothing, I need to know so I can _save_ him. You know about Darkness's life, so you must understand what I am feeling instinctually."

Nothing frowned before he gasped a little and sat up. Ryou blinked, not expecting this reaction. But the god looked away and muttered, "_Fine._

_Cloud is a drug creatures use to manipulate other creatures. It dulls sight and the ability to make proper decisions. It fills your sight with this cloud. It's like a fog or haze that blocks everything from view. It's impossible to see _anything _thought it. The cloud changes colour depending on who uses it, but mine have always been purple."_

"Wait, you've been on this drug?"

He nodded, smirking but it was grim.

"_I was on it for three years. My Master, she hated when I resisted her. So when she found the Cloud she used it straight away. I don't remember much of those years. It was a _lot_ of confusion, a _lot_ of obedience, and a _lot_ of pain. Withdrawal symptoms are _horrible_._"

He shuddered, not noticing Ryou's confused look. Master? Did Nothing belong to someone before he died? And what did this woman do to him? It sounded bad…really bad…

"_The creature under it tends to forget who they are," _the shadow continued. "_They do what they are told because it is too hard to make a decision themselves. Finding who they are and their morals is almost impossible. When the Cloud starts to wear off, there is always pain. It makes you almost try to take it again, but you don't because you miss your ability to see. Though the pain lasts for half the time you were on it. _

_Withdrawal consists of many things, but I remember I suffered manly from social anxiety, inability to concentrate and make important or big decisions, and obedience. I relied on others too much, hence why I left and tried to start my own life. Probably should have waited a year and a half but,_" he shrugged, "_it helped_."

"So when we get Kaiba back…" Ryou whispered, "he'll struggle to do the very things he _needs_ in life?"

"_Yep! Pretty much_."

Ryou groaned and lay back on her bed, for she had propped herself up so to listen to his story. Nothing chuckled before lying on top of her, again, his form a little more solid.

"_So are we done talking?"_ he asked.

Ryou rolled her eyes and said, "We can not do anything anyway, Nothing. You need a proper body to enjoy it."

"_But I can make _you_ enjoy it. And your enjoyment is enough for me._"

Ryou sighed.

"I'd rather you didn't. I want to find your other half. I remember how you said the Reaper expelled a part of your soul into the living world. Once I find it, we can have a proper relationship."

Nothing mumbled something before sighing and kissing her again with cold, lifeless lips.

"_I miss having a body_," he whispered against her lips. "_And I miss you. I like who you are in this life, but I miss being able to touch you and love you properly. I can't do anything like this._"

"Which is why I will find your living half." She smiled softly. "And anyway, I have an idea who it might be. But I don't know how you'll take him over. He has quite the personality."

Nothing grinned.

"_I do like a challenge…"_


	7. Chapter 7

He woke to something tickling his face. Grunting, he slowly opened his eyes. He still couldn't see anything other than gold. Frowning, he sniffed the air. He got a whole lot of hair and smoke.

Coughing and rubbing his now itching nose, he sat up. He reached a hand out in front of him and felt bare skin. But…

He ran his hand up the body and felt a spine. He continued to go up the neck and into the hair. Short hair. It wasn't Selena. Was it the human?

He leaned over the human and sniffed again. Yes, this was the human. He brought his hand back down. He frowned but a smile started to flick at the corners of his mouth. The boy was naked. He had a feeling he knew why, but the stupid Cloud stopped him from feeling someone touching his things.

He ran his hand over the human's bum, squeezing a little. He felt the body shift and a small grumble came out of the human. He chuckled and went a little lower, feeling strong legs. He didn't bother going all the way to his feet. No use.

He went back to the boy's back. He traced the bones of his spine. He felt the boy move again and then, he had rolled over.

He pulled his hand back, and could feel eyes on him. He must have woken the human.

"…What're you doing…?" the human asked groggily, annoyance and confusion in his voice.

He moved close again, feeling his tail curl around him and tap the gold in his sudden embarrassment.

"Well, I didn't know who was in front of me."

The human mumbled something before saying, "And you were touching me _why_?"

"I just told you why."

"Nah…you gave a stupid excuse. You can see me perfectly."

He frowned.

"No, I can not. I can only see a golden cloud."

He felt the human frown and roll back to face him.

"Why?"

"The liquid. It does it."

"What liquid?"

"The thing Selena made me drink last night."

The human suddenly swore and he heard gold shift. But the human didn't get up.

"Where is that bitch? She's drugging you Kaiba! Making you forget."

He cocked his head. He figured this the moment Alpha gave it to him. But it wasn't like he could stop them. They forced him to drink it every day.

"I know," he answered slowly, reaching out a hand to touch his human again. "But I can not stop them."

His fingers connected with warm flesh. He gently ran a finger up the torso, feeling hard muscle. He felt the human shudder and he stopped in the centre of his chest.

"What are you doing?" the human asked.

He sighed softly and moved closer still. He ran his hand up and over broad shoulders.

"I'm trying to imagine what you look like," he whispered while reaching over to feel the strong back he had before. "I can't get colours, but I can at least figure out your build."

As he said this, an image flashed in his mind's eye. A boy with golden hair and honey brown eyes. He frowned. Was that a memory? But it was already fading…

"…Do you…" He looked in the direction of the human's face. "Do you want me to tell you?"

He blinked slowly. His hand moved up the boy's neck and he could feel him trembling a little.

"If you could…" he whispered, running fingers up to his face.

The human seemed to hesitate as he found his lips. He gently brushed his thumb over them, liking the warmth from it.

"Ah, well." The movement on his finger made him smile a little. "I have blond hair." He moved his hand to the boy's head, touching the silky hair. "And brown eyes. Some people say honey but I just find it easier to say brown." His hand slowed for a second. Honey eyes… "My skin's quite fair. My dad's part American so I didn't get the olive skin of most Japanese people. I'm more on the white side."

He moved his hand back to the boy's face. He rested his fingers on his cheek, unsure of what to do from here. He was getting the image of a lanky body but he was strong despite the lack of showing muscles. The blond hair and brown eyes went along with the brief image from before. He could see a cheeky smirk on his face.

He _did_ know this boy.

"Your name…" He felt the boy's eyes turn up to him. "It's Joey Wheeler. That's your name isn't it?"

The human didn't answer for a second. But then he felt a genuine smile and the boy laughed softly.

"Yeah. I told you my first name yesterday but you got the last name on ya own. Remember me yet?"

He hesitated before shaking his head. It was just a name. That was all he could put to the boy in his mind.

"Hey…Seto." He called him by his name? "Can you undo these ties?"

He hadn't even realised the boy had been tied up. Though it explained his lack of movement…

He reached over and untied his wrists, fumbling a little with the rope for he couldn't see. Once the boy's hands were free, he sat up. He heard a pop of something moving.

"Man I shouldn't sleep on gold!" The human turned his attention back to him. "I don't know how you do it."

"I sleep."

The human laughed and he was suddenly aware of how close they were. He reached out a hand, feeling the human go stiff. He connected with that chest again.

"Kai-"

"Please don't call me that." He felt the human's shock but he ignored it and continued to go up. "My name is Seto. I do not remember your Kaiba, so wait until the Cloud has disappeared to call me that again, human."

The human seemed to left off a wave of sadness and hurt before a different emotion came into it.

"Well don't call me human. You just said my name so call me Joey."

He hesitated, hand stopping on the human's collarbones. But he shrugged and nodded, continuing to go up. He felt the boy shiver and turn his head away but he made him turn back his way. He cupped his face in a hand.

He thought he knew why this human-no-why _Joey_ was a part of his hoard. He was a beautiful boy, for one thing. And he…he felt something different around him. It was a nice feeling…a good feeling…he liked touching him and hearing him speak…but why?

"Seto…"

He brushed his thumb over those lips again. He kind of wanted to…This boy was a part of his hoard. He could do whatever he wanted with him. So…he _should_ be allowed to…

He gently brought the boy forward and, he resisted a little at first, but then leaned forward. He smiled and pressed his lips against the human's. To his surprise, Joey returned the soft kiss, shifting forward so he wasn't leaning.

He brought an arm around the boy's waist, pulling him towards him. Joey kissed him still and he returned them, but he wouldn't let the human do anything more. His arms were staying between their bodies and his feet were still tied together. He would sit there, on his lap, and only return the kisses.

When the human pulled back to breathe, he could feel a grin.

"You know…you can keep some of this niceness when the Cloud goes."

He smirked and shook his head.

"I doubt I will keep anything of the Cloud."

"Not even me?"

It was a joke but he couldn't help but think it was serious too.

"Well, you're a special case."

Then he kissed the human again, albeit more passionately. The boy replied in the same greedy manor, trying to force his tongue into his mouth. He smirked through the kiss and pushed his own tongue into his mouth. The human yelped a little then groan. They battled until air became too much of a need and separated.

"Oh gods, I really want you to stay like this afterwards…" Joey whispered.

"I'd like to see you. So we don't always get what we want."

He could feel Joey pout before his attention was suddenly elsewhere. He frowned before hearing the wingbeat of a dragon and someone landing. He sniffed and quickly caught Selena's scent.

"We're going back to Domino." The human realm. Why? "Alpha wants us to get rid of some…pests."

What did she mean by that?

* * *

Joey didn't know why they brought him. But here he was, clothed, in Kaiba's giant clawed paw. He stared down at his home, dragons still raging. Obviously they hadn't stopped last night.

Kaiba landed on Kaiba Corp again. The building creaked and swayed under his weight much more this time. Selena landed on the roof, wing legs hooked onto the side while her back legs dug into the glass walls. Joey noticed how Kaiba's body, spaced out in even rings, could cover two thirds of the building. Selena only reached a quarter of the building by hanging.

Kaiba _really _was a big dragon.

The silver dragon looked up at the sky, nostrils twitching. Joey watched, feeling the silver claws around him stiffen a little. But the dragon didn't show anything, as Kaiba was good at, and looked at Selena.

"_What is it Alpha wants?"_

Selena's eyes widened in surprise. Joey got the feeling Kaiba didn't speak unless spoken to. The dragonell answered him anyway.

"_She wants you to meet her at a mansion. The human should know the way."_

Kaiba glanced down at Joey and Joey suddenly realised she meant their home. Swallowing, Joey nodded and softly said, "She's talking 'bout our home."

Kaiba cocked his head in confusion, but Joey could see a little bit of recognition in his eyes. He pushed off Kaiba Corp and flew high into the sky. He then brought Joey up so they were close enough to speak.

"_Which way, human?_"

Joey sighed at the word. He'd gone back to calling him that in a matter of _seconds_. What happened to the guy he saw just before? Happily showing the love Kaiba hid and forcing Joey to do the same?

The blond shivered as he remembered those cold fingers on his chest. So different to those times in the alleyway. And the school. And even in Kaiba's house the day Diabound showed itself. There was something better about Kaiba now. Something different…

Nevertheless, Joey guided Kaiba to the mansion. He felt Kaiba slow the closer they got and eventually he stopped over it, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"_I recognise this scent…"_

Joey nodded enthusiastically, hoping to get him to remember.

"This is our home. We live here with Ryou and your brother, Mokuba."

Kaiba blinked slowly.

_"Brother…?"_

Joey stared. He forgot _Mokuba_? How strong was this drug?!

"_Ah good." _Joey looked up just as a dragon as big as Kaiba landed over the house.

She had dark green scales and golden spines. Her eyes were a deep blue and her nails a dark black. If Kaiba were a Medieval Dragon, he would have been her size. Her claws were the size of _cars_.

"_Hatchling," _Kaiba stiffened and his grip on Joey tightened, _"put the human down."_

Joey didn't want to be put down. He didn't like this. It felt wrong. Something bad was going to happen.

But Kaiba did as he was told, albeit reluctantly, and put Joey on the ground. Softly and gently.

Joey quickly backed away from the giant dragons. He felt a dark presence behind him and knew Ryou was there. She was watching. Waiting.

_"Now hatchling…"_ The alpha dragon almost cooed, leaning down a little so to meet eyes with the silver dragon. Joey noticed how he shrunk away. Kaiba was _scared_? "_I want you to kill him."_

"_What?"_

Joey stared and started to back up even more. He had no idea how this would turn out. Kaiba very well could kill him, since he seemed to obey this dragonell without thought. But then, he wouldn't kill Joey. Not something he '_owned'_.

"_I can not," _Kaiba answered in a growl. _"He is part of my hoard."_

_"And you must kill him. He is not of any use."_

_"I quite _like_ him, Alpha."_

The dragonell rose an eye ridge at this.

"_Are you challenging me, hatchling?"_

Joey watched as Kaiba hesitated. Then, he straightened and looked the other dragon straight in the eye. Yet, his eyes were still clouded.

"_I think I am, Beryllia."_

Joey suddenly felt cold around him. Next thing he knew, Ryou was in front of him. They were beside the mansion, behind the wall and out of sight of the dragons. She put her hand over his mouth before he could speak.

"He will lose in this mindset," she whispered. "We need to help him."

Joey nodded and summoned his scythe. Ryou summoned her daggers and they came out of hiding. Joey looked up at the massive dragons and he froze. Yeah…this was going to be bad…

Beryllia scratched at Kaiba but her claws rolled harmlessly off his scales. Kaiba snarled, sharp teeth showing. He seemed to be trying to get her neck, but she was fast for her size. Kaiba was sluggish.

It clicked.

He couldn't _see_!

"Ryou!" The albino looked back at him. "Kaiba can't see! Try to hit her the same way!"

Ryou nodded and disappeared in the shadows. She reappeared above the dragonell. Both dragons looked up in confusion before Ryou dug her dagger deep into the female's eye.

Beryllia roared in agony and a giant claw came up. Joey only just saw Ryou attempt a dodge. But she was hit and fell to the ground too quickly to not leave injures. The shadows that tried to grab her broke under the speed.

Joey quickly summoned a flame and teleported to Ryou. He found her in the front yard. He gasped and crouched next to her.

She was alive but barely. One of those claws must have cut her when it struck.

Her torso was slit.

Joey ignored the organs starting to slip out and watched as shadows desperately tried to keep her together. Dark red blood pooled around her, much too quickly to be healthy.

"Ryou." He nudged her shoulder and she opened her eyes a little. "Stay awake."

She smiled weakly and nodded, hissing as a shadow climbed inside her to hold her organs in place. Joey knew she was only alive because of her magic. He figured he could leave it to her shadows for a little while…despite his gut telling him not to…

Standing, Joey turned back to the dragons…

…only to be hit by a massive tail.

He hit a wall and slid down, winded and definitely with a few broken ribs.

It hurt to breathe. He held his chest, trying to figure out where the rib was. Maybe he could do what Jonouchi did all those dreams ago. He didn't have desensitised pain receptors, but he could handle pain.

He found the hard bump and gently pushed it down. It hurt like hell but he kept going until it wasn't stabbing him anymore. He knew, just as before, the only reason he could do this was the magic. It dulled things. And gods was he grateful for that.

He let out a shaky sigh, tears slipping down his cheeks as the bone popped into place. Panting, he looked back to Ryou.

His blood turned cold. He knew he shouldn't have left her to the shadows…

Beryllia was standing over Ryou, her claws on top of her. One giant claw pressed into Ryou's shoulder. The girl screamed, her voice breaking at the end. Joey tried to stand. Pain shot through him but he forced himself up. He could do this. He could get to her. He had to help her before she _died_.

Where was Kaiba?

"_Wheeler get ready!"_

Joey looked up just as a body of silver propelled itself at Beryllia. The two dragons fell onto the ground with an earth shattering _thump_. Joey ran to Ryou despite the pain racking his body. He landed next to her and summoned a flame. Golden light flickered between the molten red, reducing the black to almost nothing. He put the special flame to her wounds, hoping to heal them enough for her to survive. He should have done this before. He shouldn't have assumed anything. He should have just trusted Kaiba and taken Ryou somewhere safe.

He started repairing her stomach.

Looking up, he saw tails and claws thrashing everywhere. The long body of Kaiba had curled around Beryllia. He seemed to be squeezing. The dragonell didn't seem fazed by it though. She dug her claws into his hide. A startled cry left the silver dragon as the metal crumpled under her claws.

Joey turned back to Ryou. Her torso was starting to close up. He couldn't see any discarded organs. Her shoulder bled badly from the attack before. A massive gash poured more blood. She was unconscious but still breathing. Lightly but breathing.

He looked back at the dragons–

–Beryllia was on top of Kaiba. She had the bottom half of his body pinned with her back legs and the upper half with her front. The rest was crumpled in the middle. It looked extremely painful.

_"I never wanted to kill you, hatchling." _She hissed over him, one clawed paw pushing Kaiba's face into the ground. _"But I might just have to now."_

Joey started to rise when Kaiba spoke in a low growl. The words didn't even sound human, despite the Japanese language.

_"What makes you think you've won?"_

The smugness in his voice made Joey grin. Oh yeah…Seto Kaiba was back! The Cloud was gone!

Beryllia frowned and her front legs loosened their hold. Kaiba sprang up and used all his weight to flip her onto her back. He crawled over her and, in a matter of seconds, his massive jaws were around her neck.

Joey's hands fell from Ryou. He watched in rapt horror and disgust as Kaiba held her, his teeth deep into her neck. She thrashed and tried to pull out but he held strong. Eventually, her body slowed and stopped.

Kaiba held her still, biting once more before pulling back. Joey slowly started to come out of his numb state, when Kaiba threw back his head and roared. A loud, demanding roar.

Joey flinched and stepped back. The dragon lowered his head and turned a golden eye their way. Blood dripped down his neck but he didn't seem fazed. He came over, bringing his head low. Joey tried not to stare, but he couldn't help it. Dark red blood stained his teeth and caused little strings of saliva from tooth to tooth when he parted his jaws.

"_How is she?"_

Joey startled out of his shock and looked down at Ryou. She was still unconscious and blood coated her, but the wound in her stomach was coming to a close. He hoped the shadows were fixing her insides too. Her arm still bled dangerously, but the shadows had started healing it.

"Could be better…"

Kaiba grumbled softly, looking as if he were going to say something, before he raised his head abruptly. He looked behind them, twisting his long neck. Joey followed his gaze. Oh no…

Military trucks. Giant guns aimed at Kaiba. The dragon stiffened and glanced down at Joey. Joey got the message and stepped in front of his giant friend.

"Don't shoot!" He shouted with blood dripping down his hands. The man in front gave him an annoyed look and held his gun tighter. "Don't shoot him," he repeated. "He saved us."

The man, which looked like the general, frowned deeply. He looked at Joey but kept the guns trained on Kaiba. Joey could hear the dragon's soft growl.

"Saved you? This beast almost destroyed Kaiba Corp! It is as bad as the rest."

Joey rolled his eyes and dropped his hands.

"Ok, first thing first, he just _killed_ the Alpha of this pack. _He's_ now Alpha, which means he can order all these dragons to go back to where they came from. _Secondly_, this guy's a friend of mine and he has been drugged the past two months, forced into doing what he has done. He is a _good_ guy."

The general didn't change. He seemed to glare now. Joey hid his annoyance at the man's behaviour. If only they knew who his dragon was.

"Then tell the dragon to send the others back."

Joey glanced at Kaiba and he sighed. He raised his head and gave a loud, commanding roar. Suddenly all the dragons started to fly up, most hovering and watching him. Joey recognised a purple Wyvern and she hovered over them. The guns turned her way but Joey told them not to shoot again. Luckily, they listened, but only from a snarl of the Wyvern and Kaiba both.

Selena said something to Kaiba in a series of growls. He replied in the same manor. Joey couldn't see anything in her eyes that hinted to sadness or disappointment. She actually seemed quite happy…

Eventually the dragonell left, roaring something to all the other dragons. They all flew up to the tear in the sky and disappeared. It was silent for a couple seconds. Joey looked back at the human, smirking.

"See?" Joey said somewhat smugly. "He's a good guy and he's not going to do anything _disastrous_."

The military force shifted, murmurs breaking out. The general held his hand up for silence. He looked at Joey, not Kaiba, as he spoke.

"We still can not let an _animal_ like _this_ in Domino. It must go with the others."

Joey went to answer when Kaiba suddenly moved. His head lowered next to Joey and, to the blond's complete and utter shock, he changed forms.

Seto Kaiba stood before them all. He was clothed in his signature outfit, his white trench coat now returned. He didn't have it back in the cave. Maybe the Cloud had made him lose it…

Whatever the case, he stood with arms crossed, tail poofing to the side like his coat, and eyes glowing a bright gold. Blood still stained his teeth and neck but he didn't seem bothered by this even in human form.

"This _beast,_" Kaiba sneered, eyes slitting dangerously, "_lives_ in Domino. I will not be going with those dragons nor will I be leading them. So, general, do you have any objections to the most powerful man in Japan staying in his homeland? Or am I only an unintelligent _animal_ that deserves to be caged and collared?"

Joey looked back at the general, trying to hide his smirk. Oh, Kaiba didn't like that. He definitely didn't like being called an animal. And the general seemed to gather that.

He lowered his gun and practically stuttered, "I-I didn't know…since when…?" More half-asked questions and apologies left him but Kaiba held up a hand to silence him.

Golden eyes slid across the military, looking more and more like the dragon inside. Joey was pretty sure Kaiba didn't even blink.

"All you need to know is what you have seen. I am Seto Kaiba, only with a different form. Keep in mind I am possibly the most intelligent creature in Japan. I only ask you _never_ point those guns at me _again_." The last part was growled, the inhumane sound following after in a rumble like thunder.

Joey noticed the general was trembling ever so slightly. He nodded quickly and barked orders at his men. Slowly, the vehicles receded. Kaiba did not move until they were gone. Joey went back to Ryou.

She was still bleeding. But she didn't seem to be dying. Most of her wounds were filled with shadows, so they were probably fixing everything. Joey was about to pick her up to take inside, when a woman's voice caused him to look back at Kaiba.

Shit…

Kaiba was staring in wide eyed shock as a camera was thrust in his face. A news reporter was asking him questions, her microphone also up in his face. But what scared Joey the most was the complete and utter fear in Kaiba's eyes. His pupils were mere slits. His tail flicked agitatedly and he was opening and closing his fist.

"Mr. Kaiba!" The woman pressed the microphone a little higher and the brunet stepped back. "Have you been with these dragons the past month? Have you been a dragon all your life? Does this mean Mokuba is like you? Did you leave us to be with these creatures? Are you even on the side of humanity?"

Joey approached them, realising Kaiba wouldn't be able to answer. His brain had kicked into overdrive and he was lost. Joey tapped the reporter on her shoulder and she turned to him with a glare. The camera too.

"Have you been filming this whole time?" he asked quietly.

She nodded and the camera turned back to Kaiba. The dragon quickly his relief at Joey's presence. His pupils were now its normal size and his tail had stilled.

"Since when?"

"Since Mr. Kaiba killed the dragon."

She then made to turn back to Kaiba but Joey grabbed her microphone. He made sure the camera was on Kaiba before melting the mic. The woman gasped but the camera didn't get to him in time. The flames were gone.

"Well if you've been filming live since then," Joey muttered, "then you should _know_ what side Kaiba's on."

The woman glared at him then turned back to Kaiba. Kaiba broke out of his shock and cleared his throat.

"I believe Mr. Wheeler has a valid point. As I said to the general, what you have seen should be enough of an answer. Now," Kaiba turned away and started to walk to Ryou, "leave us alone."

Joey took that as his cue to follow and he did. He didn't look back at the reporter. Not even when they picked Ryou up and walked into the house. Mokuba was waiting, smiling despite the obvious fear in his eyes, with Roland to patch her up.

Joey sighed and looked up at Kaiba, who was covered in blood. From his mouth to his arm, which Joey had now realised had a giant claw dint in it, to his chest and legs where Ryou had bled on him. But his golden eyes were clear and sharp.

As they should be.

"Things aren't going to be easy anymore, are they?" Joey whispered to him.

He looked at the blond and sighed. A clawed finger came to Joey's face, running down his cheek. He blinked in confusion. But the dragon before him smiled softly.

"Not at all."

He pulled his hand away and walked further into the house, leaving a very confused and stunned Joey Wheeler.

* * *

_"Jonouchi Katsuya."_

_He couldn't help but grin at that moment. There was quite an audience. He found it interesting. To think, so many people came to see if the rumours were true. If it was true at all. That, maybe, maybe just maybe, the star Volcan child was getting exiled. For _numerous_ crimes that, some, shouldn't even be _uttered_. _

_The dragon smirked up at his ex-master. The old man looked down with such pain in his eyes, Jonouchi wanted to scoff and roll his eyes. He didn't care. Things would be better if he could get out of this hell hole! No more overbearing 'sister' and no more pain from expectations. He could finally let loose and allow the Games full effect to fall over him. _

_Jonouchi's eyes drifted down to two figures. They were standing off to the side. One with his head down, the other glaring off to the side. _

_Riyu and Set. _

_To his surprise, a sting of guilt squeezed his supposedly unresponsive heart. Jonouchi growled it away and looked off to the setting sun. He didn't care. They were the reason he was up here anyway! _

_"You are exiled, for the remainder of your lifetime, from our islands."_

_Jonouchi smirked as the chains fell off. Good. _

_He teleported in a blast of flames. Who really cared? This was great! He had the freedom he had always wanted. And so what if it was at the cost of his friends?_

_He didn't need anyone in this insane life of his. _

_It was safer to be separate anyway…_

* * *

A day later and Kaiba hadn't left the house. He didn't instead to. He had one _very _important thing to do.

He knocked softly on the black bedroom door. A soft, "Come in," emitted from the other side. Kaiba pushed the door open, long nails clicking softly on the wood.

He walked into the room and found Ryou smiling softly at him. She was lying down and pale as death, but she seemed happy to see him. Despite the dull and unfocused look in her eyes. He didn't like that…it reminded him too much of–

"About time you showed up," she whispered, voice weak.

Kaiba smirked a little but it died quickly. He sat in a chair by her bed and avoided her gaze. How did he bring this up? It was killing him, and he needed to tell her, but how? It wasn't something he could just say randomly.

"Kaiba." A small, white hand curled over his own bigger hand. He glanced up at the girl and didn't see a girl. The person looking out of those eyes was a strong woman he had never met before. At least…not this life… "I know what you want to say. I felt it too, when she came for you." The woman inside Ryou smiled softly, dark blue eyes so like Bakura's but not. They held a warmth and love the thief never could. "I am forever grateful to you. You defended me and saved my soul from death. Again."

Kaiba felt something stir inside him. He didn't know what it was, but it made him feel warm at her words. He knew this woman. He knew her on a very different level. He couldn't remember her, but he knew her.

"I…" She lowered her eyes a little before looking at him again. "I don't know how to say it either. I just…I just can't express how much it meant when you…"

"Defended your honour?"

The woman blinked before smiling softly. She nodded, squeezing his hand and looking down.

"But that is all you need to do," she whispered. "Spiritual relations are _very_ different to physical relations. They mean nothing, so do not think-"

"Ryou is a friend and nothing more," he interrupted, making her look up. "Maybe family, but that is it. I do not have a mother, and I never want one. Not in the form of a girl my age."

The woman smiled in a sigh and her eyes began to lighten to Ryou's cobalt. She looked tired and sunk deep into the pillows. Her hand slid off his own.

"Thank you…" she whispered, closing her eyes. "Seto…"

* * *

**And that's the end of The Dragon Emerges! I really hope you enjoyed it and continue to like the Keeper Series. **


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